To be an effective police officer, I’ve learned to become an astute observer. I need to know my direction of travel, what block I am on at all times, and the sector that I am patrolling. I observe what people are wearing, what they have in their hands, the way the look at the police and the way they walk to determine whether or not they are involved in or are about to become involved in illegal activity. I listen to what people say while observing their actions. It is not unusual when answers to routine questions contradict the actions of the complainants. When I walk into an apartment, or a room full of people that I am not familiar with, I rely greatly on my senses. I assess the key players, look for furtive movements, and evaluate the “feel” of the room. A weakness that I have in the area of observation is when I feel comfortable in the surroundings that I am in, I tend to become complacent and sometimes miss things that would ordinarily be apparent had I been alert.Critical Analysis, Evaluation and InterpretationWhen presented with an idea, problem or set of facts, I evaluate and interpret the situation presented to me in a logical, reasonable manner. For example, In a recent discussion with an adversary, she did most of the talking and I did the listening. I heard about the things that she’d done, what she planned to do as well as the things that she believed she was capable of doing. Certain “flags” came up during the conversation and I took this information and compared it to what I knew was possible and disregarded what I knew to be a falsity. I was able to determine lie from truth, and differentiate between fact and opinion. Those things that I concluded were invalid or misleading, I immediately dismissed. I accomplished this by consulting various sources, and relying on past information that was readily available to me. Using this form of critical thinking helpe...
