Digital Commons Network^™

The Faces Of Crime: How Municipal Police Department Presence On Social Media Influences The Lives Of Incarcerated Americans, Carley Frost

Honors Theses

This photographic exposé and the complimentary research was designed to highlight the impact of municipal police department presence on social media and the consequences it has on those who are featured on the pages. As social media became a centerpoint of social life, police departments sought to utilize social media in a way that uplifted the department; however, in doing so, incarcerated members of the community were simultaneously being publicly humiliated. Their mugshots and alleged charges were published onto the department social media pages, allowing their family and peers to comment and share freely. These individuals report difficulty finding a …

Communities In Conflict: A Critical Look Into Police And Deaf Interactions In Central Kentucky, Savannah Sublette

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine historical and social patterns of audism, as expressed through criminal justice institutions, within local communities in central Kentucky. Previous research has pointed to patterns of discrimination by surveying either police or deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) people. By conducting research with members of both populations, the present study is able to explore the respective experiences and opinions on various topics, including knowledge of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), criminal justice policy and procedure, and the interaction techniques utilized by law enforcement. Themes and patterns emerge showing the disconnect between a …

Abstract Assassination: How Police Militarization Has Contributed To The Rise Of “Swatting”, Lucas A. Carrico

Honors Theses

In recent decades, police militarization has firmly planted itself at the forefront of academic discourse in institutions of higher learning around the globe. Various stances, positions, and theories have been extolled as to its origins, implications, and repercussions; however, this decade has produced what is arguably the most tangible embodiment of police militarization as a whole: swatting. Ostensibly a prank, this phenomenon entails the false reporting of a serious crime with the covert intention of this report being to direct as many heavily armed police officers to a location as possible. This phenomenon has become increasingly popular in the world …

When Law Enforcement And Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder Meet: Asd Knowledge And Confidence In Law Enforcement Officers In The Commonwealth Of Kentucky, Nicholas P. Hoffmann

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the current training practices, as well as the knowledge and confidence that law enforcement officers possessed with regards to interacting with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as reported by the officers. It is expected that the level of training will be highly inadequate in the Commonwealth of Kentucky due to lack of available training and resources available to officers, as well as the lack of mental health training requirements. This project does not seek to criticize officers, but rather to assess the current overall status of their training as well as …

Different Not Less: An Evaluation Of The Autism Training Curriculum For The Kentucky Department Of Criminal Justice Training, Joseph Aaron Ellis

Online Theses and Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorder is one of the largest growing neurological behavioral disabilities in the United States, with a rise in diagnoses from 2012 (1 in 88) to present day (1 in 68). Studies have shown that individuals with disabilities are more likely to be victimized. Thus, the increasing diagnoses of ASD increases the chance that a victim of crime will have ASD. Police officers should have a working and growing knowledge of ASD from day one, for this reason. This exploratory study uses a literature review of autism spectrum disorder in order to develop an evaluation to analyze the curriculum …

Policing Celebratory Behavior: Tactical Vs. Relationship, A Micro Study Of Lexington Kentucky Police Response, Gregg Nelson Jones

Online Theses and Dissertations

In the last three plus decades, considerable attention has been given to certain common phases in the life cycle of gatherings, demonstrations, and riots in the United States. Much of the study focuses on theoretical origin and social psychology associated with each type of event. There is considerably less empirical work regarding police reaction to these events, particularly concerning celebratory behavior following a sporting event. Celebratory incidents are less organized than their protests counterpart. A variety of fans with collective zeal gather in a common location without leadership or mission. Celebratory behavior has become commonplace amongst fans in cities with …

The Brutal Truth About Police Brutality, Markhel D. Hargrove

Honors Theses

Police brutality is a very timely issue as a new case has seemed to pop up every couple of weeks or so; however, police brutality is not a recent phenomenon, but for some reason, it is getting a lot of media attention today. This is perhaps due to the pattern that is occurring in these instances: black victims and white cops. In order to prevent police brutality from happening, several steps must be made to improve the way that police officers act and think in certain situations. First, it is important to teach officers how to properly handle the mentally …

A Study Of Academic Performance In Police Basic Training, Robert Ramsey

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of formal education and the effect it has on academic performance of the police recruits that attended the Department of Criminal Justice Training (DOCJT) for their basic training academy in Richmond, Ky. This study focused on the academic portion of recruit training only. This study assessed whether education level is a valid predictor of a recruit officers academic performance and will answer if higher education levels give a recruit officer an advantage academically while they are in basic training.

The sample chosen was from recruit classes that attended basic training …

5-0 Is Not Coming To Save You: Examining The Lack Of Police Intervention In Lgbtq Intimate Partner Violence, Lucais Wallen

Online Theses and Dissertations

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has garnered a lot of attention by the criminal justice system, the media and, academia. Intimate partner violence laws have seen drastic changes over the past hundred years often coupled with the changes of culture and society. Though intimate partner violence surely warrants that attention, the growing and important issue of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) intimate partner violence has largely been ignored. The ongoing struggle of LGBTQ community for equality has not as of yet been a catalyst for drastic legal change. Utilizing narratives from victims of intimate partner violence from around the …

The Formation And Deployment Of Swat In The Ivory Towers, Paul Grant

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the formation of SWAT teams on college campuses and some of the reasoning behind their deployments. The study provides an overview of the early formation of SWAT, policing in a college setting and finally the creation of such teams that began in municipal policing but have migrated into campus law enforcement.

Data for this study was collected using a 20 question survey sent to college campuses that are members of IACLEA or International association of college law enforcement administrators. The return rate was 37% and the surveys were analyzed using SPSS version …

Kentucky's Response To The Lautenberg Act: Curbing Domestic Violence Among Police, Victor E. Kappeler

Kentucky Justice and Safety Research Bulletin

This study empirically investigates the impact of the Lautenberg Act on policing in Kentucky to determine whether a significant proportion of law enforcement agencies have been affected by the law and to ascertain whether a significant percentage of Kentucky officers will be forced to find alternative employment.