This is called "constructive tactical thinking," and it's not daydreaming! As a young officer, you must remember that you're always playing for the visiting team. Rarely do the bad guys come to the precinct to commit a domestic assault or rob a lady at gunpoint in the police parking lot. We're always the visitors. When we do arrive, we must do an immediate size-up of the terrain and situation, often as it's evolving.
You should recall your tactical and range instructors repeatedly asking you to recite the difference between cover and concealment. Refresher: Cover stops incoming bullets, and concealment hides you from eyes, not bullets.
What separates recruits from wise, veteran street cops? You stop at cover and concealment; they don't. You've got to learn to read the terrain. Great military leaders from history were more adept at reading the topography of the area than brushing up on their tactics. Good positions for the troops improve poor tactics and equipment.
This doesn't mean I want you over-thinking the calls you ride. Zombies are not going to pop out of the dumpsters to eat your brain. But you must develop what some refer to as tactical thinking, or what I call "but, what if, then" thinking. You can never assume your radio dispatcher will give you all the tactical information. Some complainants don't know all of the good tactical intelligence we would desire to know. And yes, some bad guys will lie about this.
If you don't scan the area for additional people (friend and foe), you risk becoming a statistic. Learn to scan the area for cover and concealment, as well as things that could harm you. In every neighborhood, there's a snarly cur of a dog to bite you. Think with all of your senses; you were gifted with five of them, so use them.
