Police Training

Our Training Unit includes Sgt. Fred Melaragno, Ofc. Rob Narayan, Ofc. Douglas Williams, Ofc. Jeff Bailey, Mrs. Sharon Wooding, and is led by Lt. Summer Hallett Kerkau

Each member brings numerous years of training experience and qualifications to the unit.

The primary function of the Training Unit is to provide Department members with the knowledge and skills to enhance and maintain their abilities to provide the best possible service to the citizens of Gainesville.

The Training Unit also serves as a liaison with the staff of the Santa Fe College Institute of Public Safety. Unit members assist in coordinating and instructing recruit classes at the police academy. In addition, staff members conduct advanced training courses including Instructor Techniques, Field Training Officer, Hostage Negotiator, Firearms Instructor, Driving Instructor, and Defensive Tactics Instructor. Advanced training courses are offered through the training facility to area law enforcement agencies as specialized training courses. These courses include a series of Community Policing blocks, which is the philosophy in which the Gainesville Police Department operates.

The Field Training and Evaluation Program is a seventeen-week program that all new police officers must successfully complete prior to working in a solo capacity. The officer trainee is assigned to a field training officer/corporal who assists the trainee with combining the knowledge obtained in the police academy with the procedures specific to the Gainesville Police Department. Upon successful completion of the Field Training and Evaluation Program, the new officer is assigned to solo status in uniformed patrol.

The Training Unit has additional responsibilities that include the issuance and management of Department-owned weapon systems including handguns, shotguns, and OC Spray. Use-of-force incidents are reviewed on a case-by-case basis to identify training issues as well as helping to compile an annual report that is submitted to the Chief of Police.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement mandates that all sworn personnel receive 40 hours of mandatory retraining every four years to maintain officer certification. The OSU strives to provide 40 hours of training per year to all sworn members of the Gainesville Police Department. The in-service training is designed to provide up-to-date, diverse, and effective training with the end goal of providing the City of Gainesville with professional police officers