A police daily observation report template is the standardized form a field training officer completes at the end of each shift to score a recruit’s performance across roughly 30 job-related categories on a 1-to-7 scale and to document, in writing, what the trainee did well, what they did poorly, and what remedial training was provided.1National Policing Institute. The Crucial Role of Police Field Training in Shaping Law Enforcement The form built on the San Jose Model has four parts: identification data, rated performance categories, narrative comments, and signatures. Each part exists because the report has to survive later scrutiny, whether that comes from a training coordinator deciding on phase advancement or an attorney challenging a termination.
The Four Sections of a Standard DOR Template
Header and Identification Fields
The top of the form captures the trainee’s name, the FTO’s name, the date, the shift worked, the assigned district or beat, and which phase of the training program the trainee is currently in. These fields look routine and get treated that way, which is the mistake. If the report ever surfaces in a personnel hearing or a lawsuit, a wrong date or a mismatched beat assignment hands opposing counsel an easy credibility attack. Cross-checking the entries against the daily assignment log takes seconds.
Performance Categories
The core of the template is a list of rated performance categories. A San Jose-style form evaluates around 30 traits grouped into broader areas:
- Attitude: acceptance of feedback, attitude toward the work, integrity, and leadership.
- Appearance: uniform, grooming, and equipment readiness.
- Relationships: interactions with the public, with community members, and with other officers.
- Performance: driving under normal and high-stress conditions, field performance, officer safety, use of force and verbal control, investigative skills, interview techniques, self-initiated activity, report writing, and radio communication.
- Knowledge: department policies, criminal statutes, and criminal procedure.
Each category carries its own Standardized Evaluation Guideline, or SEG, that defines what behavior looks like at each score level. The SEGs are what let two different FTOs rate the same traffic stop and arrive at comparable numbers. Some agencies add one or two custom categories specific to their operations.
Narrative Section
Below the scored categories, the form provides space for written comments. Most templates require the FTO to describe the day’s most acceptable and least acceptable performance, reference specific category numbers, and document any remedial training provided along with how many minutes it took. Numbers tell a reviewer whether a recruit is struggling. The narrative tells them why.
Signature Block
Both the FTO and the trainee sign and date the completed form. The trainee’s signature confirms that the FTO reviewed the evaluation with them and gave them a chance to discuss the ratings and ask questions. It does not mean the trainee agrees with the scores. Trainees sometimes resist signing because they think it locks them into accepting a bad evaluation. It doesn’t, and the FTO should explain that before pushing a pen across the car’s console.
How the 1–7 Rating Scale Works
Each category on a San Jose-style template is scored from 1 to 7. A 1 means the behavior was unacceptable, a 4 meets the minimum standard of competence, and a 7 reflects superior performance.2San Jose Police Department. Field Training Officer (FTO) Program The granularity is the point. A recruit who handles a traffic stop adequately but without confidence might earn a 4. The same recruit taking clear command of the scene a few weeks later might warrant a 5 or 6.
Any score below 4 demands a written explanation in the narrative. Scores above 6 also require justification, which keeps FTOs from handing out high marks without saying what made the performance exceptional. A pattern of 1s and 2s in the same category across multiple shifts triggers remedial training conversations and, if the pattern continues, a formal Not Responding to Training flag.
Some agencies use a letter alternative: NI (needs improvement), C (competent), S (superior). The numeric version remains more common because it gives supervisors finer resolution when tracking improvement over time.
Writing Narrative Comments That Hold Up
The narrative section is where most FTOs either build a defensible training record or produce one full of holes. A few habits separate useful documentation from the kind that falls apart under scrutiny.
Describe the situation before describing the trainee’s response. “During a domestic disturbance call involving an armed subject, the trainee cleared the residence methodically and maintained cover throughout” gives a reviewer context. “Trainee did well on a call” gives them nothing.
Stick to observable behavior. Writing that a trainee “lacks motivation” is opinion. Writing that “despite instruction on vehicle stops during three prior shifts, the trainee had to be directed to initiate the stop on five separate occasions today” is a documented pattern. The facts lead the reader to the conclusion without the FTO editorializing.
Use direct quotes when the words themselves are the problem. If a trainee says something inappropriate to a detained person that escalates a situation, quoting the exact words is more powerful and more legally defensible than paraphrasing.
Quantify whenever possible. “The trainee took five attempts to complete an accurate burglary report” is specific. “The trainee struggled with report writing” could mean almost anything.
Document the remediation plan alongside the problem. What instruction did you provide? How did the trainee respond? What will you try next shift? A supervisor reading the file months later needs to see that the FTO made genuine training efforts before concluding a recruit can’t do the job.
The NRT Designation
The most consequential checkbox on a DOR template is Not Responding to Training. An NRT is not issued the first time a recruit makes a mistake. It flags a pattern where the trainee has received instruction on a specific skill or behavior, been given opportunities to practice it, and continues to repeat the same error. The dividing line between a bad day and an NRT is whether the FTO has already documented coaching on the same issue during prior shifts.
An NRT changes the dynamic in the patrol car. Trainees who receive one sometimes go defensive, doing only what they are told rather than taking initiative, which creates a self-reinforcing spiral of poor evaluations. Experienced FTOs watch for this reaction and adjust their coaching. Sometimes the problem isn’t that the trainee can’t learn; the FTO’s teaching style conflicts with the trainee’s learning style. Agencies that recognize this rotate the trainee to a different FTO before escalating to termination.
When NRT designations accumulate across multiple categories or persist through a phase extension, the training coordinator typically convenes a review of all submitted reports with the involved FTOs and patrol command staff. If the consensus is that the trainee has not demonstrated improvement despite documented remediation, the recommendation to separate the trainee from the program moves forward.
Who Is Qualified to Complete a DOR
A daily observation report carries weight only if the person completing it is qualified to evaluate recruits. Certification requirements for field training officers vary by state, but common standards include a minimum of two to three years of patrol experience, successful completion of an FTO certification course ranging from 32 to 40 hours, and a clean disciplinary record. Coursework typically covers evaluation methods, training liability, adult learning principles, instructional techniques, and communication fundamentals.
Most states require FTO certification before an officer can serve in the role, and many require periodic recertification. Some states allow provisional FTO designations when no certified FTO is available, but these temporary certifications carry restrictions. A provisional FTO generally cannot instruct or qualify trainees in firearms, defensive tactics, or emergency driving.
Credentialing matters for the credibility of the form itself. If a termination based on poor DOR scores ends up in litigation, one of the first things examined is whether the evaluator was properly certified. An uncertified FTO’s evaluations don’t automatically become inadmissible, but they become much easier to attack.
What the Trainee Can Do With the Form
Probationary officers generally have fewer protections than tenured employees. Courts have consistently held that probationary officers can be discharged without a hearing and without a stated reason, provided the termination isn’t based on a constitutionally impermissible purpose such as race, religion, or sex. A trainee who disagrees with a DOR score typically has no formal grievance right equivalent to what a permanent employee would have under a collective bargaining agreement.
The daily review and signature process does provide a form of procedural fairness. The trainee sees every evaluation, can ask questions, and in many departments can write a rebuttal or supplementary statement that gets attached to the DOR in the personnel file. This isn’t an appeal that changes the score, but it creates a record of the trainee’s perspective alongside the FTO’s.
The documentation standard built into the template is itself a protection. Because DORs require specific, observable, behavior-based justifications for every low score, a trainee terminated on fabricated or vague evaluations has grounds to challenge the process, typically arguing that the evaluation violated anti-discrimination protections under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.3U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 The SEG system exists in part to meet that standard: each category ties directly to an observable, job-related behavior rather than a subjective impression.
What Happens to the Form After It’s Signed
Completed DORs become part of the trainee’s permanent personnel file. Federal rules set a minimum retention floor: state and local government employers must keep personnel and employment records for at least two years from the date the record was created or the personnel action occurred, whichever is later. If the employee is involuntarily terminated, the records must be kept for two years from the termination date.4U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Summary of Selected Recordkeeping Obligations in 29 CFR Part 1602 Many agencies impose longer retention periods under state law or internal policy, sometimes five years or more, because DORs can surface in civil litigation long after the federal minimum has passed.
Agencies that store DORs digitally must meet security standards appropriate for law enforcement records. The FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Security Policy establishes baseline requirements for the protection of criminal justice information throughout its lifecycle, from creation through storage and destruction.5Federal Bureau of Investigation. Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Security Policy While DORs are personnel records rather than criminal case files, agencies using integrated records management systems often apply CJIS-level protections across the board. Paper DOR files, where they still exist, must be stored with restricted access since performance evaluations are confidential personnel records in most jurisdictions.
One Boundary: PTO-Model Agencies
Not every department uses this form. Agencies on the Police Training Officer model replace daily numerical checklists with weekly Coaching and Training Reports and problem-based learning exercises.1National Policing Institute. The Crucial Role of Police Field Training in Shaping Law Enforcement Weekly coaching reports serve a similar documentation function but look quite different on paper. Confirm which model your agency follows before downloading a template, because using the wrong form defeats the purpose of standardized evaluation.