Instructors and leaders invest significant time and money developing realistic training scenarios that immerse officers in decision-making under pressure. What often gets less attention is the moment before the scenario begins—because in real life, that isn’t an affordance. But a brief, deliberate space where officers actively anticipate what’s ahead, called preflection, can improve focus, decision-making speed, and retention of training outcomes.

 

What Is Preflection?

Preflection is the practice of thinking through possible actions, challenges, and outcomes before the situation unfolds. In a law enforcement training context, it helps officers mentally “set the stage” by considering:

• What environment they are stepping into
• Which cues will help identify potential threats or de-escalation opportunities?
• How they might prioritize their actions under different conditions

By prompting these reflections up front, instructors guide officers into a more intentional mindset before the first moment of engagement.

 

Why Preflection Works

Preflection primes the brain for active scanning and adaptive thinking. Instead of starting from a cold mental state, officers enter the scenario already tuned to pick up on critical details. This can shorten reaction times, improve the relevance of responses, and increase the likelihood of transferring lessons learned into field performance.

For novice officers, preflection builds the habit of mentally preparing before entering any situation. For experienced officers, it sharpens the ability to anticipate in unfamiliar or evolving environments. Even though these moments aren’t often available on the scene, training for them can help embed the thought process.

 

How to Integrate Preflection into Scenario-Based Training

Incorporating preflection doesn’t require major adjustments to your training plan. A few well-structured prompts from an instructor before starting a MILO scenario can have an immediate impact:

Set context without giving away the plot.

“You’ve been dispatched to a local park in the early afternoon. A 911 caller reported suspicious activity near the playground. Families are present, and several children are playing nearby. You’re about two minutes out.”

This frames the environment, potential stakeholders, and urgency without revealing whether the incident involves a crime in progress, a welfare check, or a false alarm.

Ask officers to outline possible first steps.

“When you arrive, what’s the very first thing you’ll do? Will you make contact right away, scan the area, call for backup, or something else? Explain your reasoning.”

This prompt gets officers to mentally sequence their priorities before seeing the actual situation.

Encourage consideration of multiple angles.

“If the individual you encounter appears calm and willing to talk, how will you approach? If they’re visibly distressed or uncooperative, what adjustments will you make to your communication or positioning?”

This encourages officers to think about flexibility in response rather than a single fixed plan.

Revisit their pre-flection during debrief

“Earlier, you said your first step would be to observe from a distance before making contact. In the actual scenario, you approached immediately after spotting the subject. What influenced that change in the moment?”

This draws a direct line between their initial plan and their in-scenario choices, helping identify triggers for deviation and lessons learned.

 

Building Better Training Outcomes with MILO

When paired with MILO’s ultra-realistic simulation environments, preflection gives officers a mental head start. It teaches them to arrive on-scene with a prepared but flexible mindset, ready to respond to whatever they encounter. Over time, this becomes second nature—an asset that extends well beyond the training room and into daily fieldwork.

Visit our educational resources page for more helpful information about optimizing your police training program, or contact us at info@milorange.com for a copy of our best practice guide.