Introduction-need for critical thinking in homeland security - why it mattersThe date of September 11, 2001 marked a turning point in the history of security. Due to these devastating attacks, not only have the country's defense, security, safety and military strategies changed, but our way of thinking has also changed. We cannot afford to fail in our planning and imagination of what criminals can do. To improve security, we need to look for new tools to help us with our thought processes. Critical thinking skills can counteract the status quo. Critical thinking helps us become an active learner to not only absorb information, but also to probe and shape knowledge. The critical thinker goes beyond hype and emotion and goes beyond collecting “facts” and memorizing information in an effort to understand causes, motivations, and changes. Critical thinking skills provide a foundation for creative planning while helping us anticipate future events. The critical thinker asks many questions and the questions are often easier to formulate than the answers. Critical thinking requires us to “come out of our skin” to see the world from the perspective of others. Although it is not an easy process, we are much better informed before our conclusions and decisions. Critical thinking should not be used as a tool to open the floodgates of criticism in the workplace. It's about applying it discreetly to understand the world and meet challenges. A professional's success depends on their thought process applied to daily tasks and long-term planning. Critical thinking adds another benefit to the repertoire of tools available to security and loss prevention practitioners. Security challenges have become increasingly complex... middle of document ...... reveal what the analyst believes the event or recording should reveal. Assessing reliability involves determining whether different means of collection produce the same results. on the other hand, the proof is testimonial, different criteria apply. The first thing to establish is whether the source is truthful. Veracity is not absolute. Rather, it depends on time and context. A source may believe they are telling the truth about a topic or may have legitimate reasons to lie about it. In another time and on another issue, these obstacles to veracity may not exist for this source. Therefore, establishing the veracity of a source can pose a significant challenge to the analyst.--Convey strong, well-argued arguments--Execute solutions--Focus on the reasoning process with the intention of improving the process.