The article considers the scientific foundations of the pedagogical approach to the study and development of speed qualities, in particular, the reaction speed and functional capacities of a person who provides professional training of police officers and athletes. During the research, the features of the speed qualities development, in particular the speed of reaction, were studied by means of physical training, with the help of which it is possible to achieve maximum speed of response, and, on this basis, to form stable skills for counteraction in emergency situations related to service-applied activities. A set of factors determining the speed of response to an external signal is considered. Methods for the growth of speed in the training process serve as the basis for the progress of this quality in relation to the operational and service activities of police officers. The article presents the most effective methods of speed development, aimed both at improving this physical quality, and contributing to the formation of the necessary motor skills for the successful fulfillment of operational-service tasks and for competing. Speed qualities are complex in their structure, including the time of the motor reaction, the speed of a single movement, the frequency of movements, etc. These complexity and diversity should be taken into account during the training of high-speed abilities of police officers for actions in extreme situations of operational and service activities, and a special emphasis on the acquisition and development of new motor skills and abilities should be made.