Puzzles, Patterns, and Policing: Overcoming Deficits of Formal Education to Foster Creative Thinking in Criminal Investigations

Throughout the past century, formal education reform has largely focused on the
development of critical thinking in students. The benefits of critical thinking have been widely
studied, and it is clear that these skills are essential to problem solving. Furthermore, teaching
critical thinking allows for a standardized way of assessing students, which minimizes work for
teachers and facilitates a conventional way of learning. However, the conventional approach to
formal education is not always the most effective; studies have also shown that an emphasis on
critical thinking ignores the benefit of creative thinking skills for students and may even be
detrimental to students’ creativity. This absence of creative thinking skills extends to a lack of
creativity in professional careers. This gap is particularly evident in law enforcement careers,
where creativity in policing is underemphasized and hindered by strict work environments. In
order to address this problem, this paper will discuss the history of creative thinking in formal
education, explore the advantages of creative thinking in policing, and suggest strategies for
fostering creativity in law enforcement environments.