ABSTRACT
Applying the first three Mental Models is about examining your own thinking and the assumptions your organization bases its strategies on. Police officers make many assumptions about how to best prevent crime, punish offenders, and engage the community. Many of these assumptions are based on what we have experienced in the field, learned from our field training officers, or just picked up over the years from other police officers. Below I list some ideas about how to examine your agency's current thinking to determine if the underlying assumptions are correct. Begin with Mental Model #3—First Principles Thinking to break down your assumptions into smaller and smaller ideas and then ask yourself: “How do I know that?” to determine what you are basing your assumptions on.
