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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
How Police Investigators View Credibility Of Victims Of Sexual Assault Crimes, Lakesha Richele Boone
How Police Investigators View Credibility Of Victims Of Sexual Assault Crimes, Lakesha Richele Boone
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Sexual assault is a sensitive topic, and research has become increasingly popular. Most literature focuses on stigma, attitudes, and perceptions that victims and law enforcement have about each other. Law enforcement officers are responsible for making charging decisions based on their investigations and ways by which they determine credibility and reliability of victims. It was unclear what criteria law enforcement officers use to ascertain relevant flaws in victim character and credibility. The purpose of this study was to explore how law enforcement officers evaluate credibility of sexual assault victims during investigations. The feminist legal, just world, and rape myth acceptance …
How Police Investigators View Credibility Of Victims Of Sexual Assault Crimes, Lakesha Richele Boone
How Police Investigators View Credibility Of Victims Of Sexual Assault Crimes, Lakesha Richele Boone
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Sexual assault is a sensitive topic, and research has become increasingly popular. Most literature focuses on stigma, attitudes, and perceptions that victims and law enforcement have about each other. Law enforcement officers are responsible for making charging decisions based on their investigations and ways by which they determine credibility and reliability of victims. It was unclear what criteria law enforcement officers use to ascertain relevant flaws in victim character and credibility. The purpose of this study was to explore how law enforcement officers evaluate credibility of sexual assault victims during investigations. The feminist legal, just world, and rape myth acceptance …
Motivators, Barriers, And Facilitators For Hispanic Females To Become Police Officers, Reynaldo Caban
Motivators, Barriers, And Facilitators For Hispanic Females To Become Police Officers, Reynaldo Caban
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
The loss of public trust in police institutions across the United States has increased and continues to grow as negative police interactions are broadcast on the news and social media outlets. Fueling the problem are police departments that are not representative of the communities they serve. Marginalized individuals are less likely to be heard by representatives of police departments, yet these individuals are needed to change negative perceptions. Hispanic females were selected for this study as part of those marginalized individuals. A generic qualitative approach was used to build this research with representative bureaucracy theory as the theoretical framework to …
Exploring African American Experiences With Police In Cleveland, Ohio, Hamza Khabir
Exploring African American Experiences With Police In Cleveland, Ohio, Hamza Khabir
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
According to previous research, African Americans in Cleveland, OH, reported having more negative experiences with the Cleveland Police Department (CPD) than any other demographic in the city. Furthermore, The U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, determined that the CPD had regularly engaged in excessive force by police officers. This study's purpose was to understand African Americans' experiences in Cleveland regarding the CPD. This study's research question focused on African Americans' experiences in Cleveland and their relationship with the Cleveland police. The study used a general qualitative design to conduct interviews with 10 African Americans between the ages of 18 …
Police Officers’ Perspectives Regarding The Militarization Of The Jamaica Constabulary Force, Anthony Hugh Mclaughlin
Police Officers’ Perspectives Regarding The Militarization Of The Jamaica Constabulary Force, Anthony Hugh Mclaughlin
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Crime is the main public safety issue and a significant threat to human and economic development in Jamaica. To curtail the worsening crime problem, the prime minister of Jamaica has declared a state of public emergency in certain parishes. Policy makers currently lack understanding of how the militarization of the Jamaica Constabulary Force has affected communities and citizens in Jamaica where states of public emergency have been declared. The purpose of this general qualitative study was to understand police officers’ perspectives on the militarization of the Jamaica Constabulary Force. The theoretical framework was the operational-styles theory, which offered a means …
Perception Of Racial Minorities And Police Officers Involving Use Of Force, Linda L. Hester
Perception Of Racial Minorities And Police Officers Involving Use Of Force, Linda L. Hester
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Although police training, codes of ethics, and use of force policies are in place at police departments, the problem is there is a lack of standardization involving use of force by police officers, which is triggering community concerns between police officers and racial minorities. The present study built on the work of Riter by exploring perceptions and lived experiences of racial minorities involving police officers’ use of force based on fear, trust, and confidence. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore whether lived experiences of racial minority citizens differ from police officers regarding use of force in a …
Black Citizens Experiences And Interactions With Police In Coffee County, Brittany Nicole Palmer
Black Citizens Experiences And Interactions With Police In Coffee County, Brittany Nicole Palmer
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Media attention directed towards the relationship between law enforcement officers and communities of color has increased in recent years, specifically regarding the treatment of African Americans. In some cases, contact between police and African Americans had resulted in excessive and unjustified use of force. These types of occurrences have resulted in a divide between African Americans and police officers. The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to understand African Americans’ experiences and interactions with police in communities with less-than-optimal working relations in Coffee County, Georgia. The theoretical framework for this study is the normative sponsorship theory. Data were collected …
The Role Of Organizational Socialization On The Ethical Orientation Of Male Police Officers, Megan Marie Bessey
The Role Of Organizational Socialization On The Ethical Orientation Of Male Police Officers, Megan Marie Bessey
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
A gap in literature exists surrounding years of service, training, and ethical attitudes within the law enforcement industry. The proposed hypothesis was that years of service in law enforcement and hours of in-service training were interactively related to an officer's ethical attitudes as related to ethical orientation. The purpose of this study was to examine organizational socialization within the law enforcement profession, specifically as demonstrated through the interaction effects of factors relating to ethical orientation and scores measured by the Ethics Position Questionnaire of male Northern Kentucky and Southern Oregon police officers. The major theoretical propositions for this study came …
Key Ethical Leadership Characteristics Of State Police Promotional Candidates In The South, David Patrick Hay
Key Ethical Leadership Characteristics Of State Police Promotional Candidates In The South, David Patrick Hay
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Public officials, researchers, and practitioners agree police organizations need the proper tools to foster a stronger sense of ethical leadership to more effectively conduct police operations and work with communities. However, few researchers have investigated ethical leadership characteristics for police supervisors, and no research has been conducted to identify desired ethical leadership characteristics for state police supervisors in the southern United States. The purpose of this qualitative Delphi study was to determine the degrees of consensus and support of identified key ethical leadership characteristics for state police promotional candidates in the southern United States, using the theoretical framework of transformational …
Police Officers' Perceptions Of Changes In Their Behavior While Being Video Recorded, Steven Patrick Ufford
Police Officers' Perceptions Of Changes In Their Behavior While Being Video Recorded, Steven Patrick Ufford
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Body worn cameras (BWCs) are a newer piece of equipment that has been issued to police officers in efforts to increase transparency and improve relations with the community. Researchers who have just recently begun studying the effects of BWCs have observed changes in behavior of officers who wear the equipment. Some of these changes potentially have an adverse effect on citizens and the officers who wear BWCs. Lipsky's street-level bureaucracy theory was utilized to examine police officer use of discretion when conducting field activities while wearing BWCs. The research question pertained to police officers' perceptions regarding changes in behavior while …
Effects Of Police-Mental Health Collaborative Services On Calls, Arrests, And Emergency Hospitalizations, Sean Russel-Jacque Zauhar
Effects Of Police-Mental Health Collaborative Services On Calls, Arrests, And Emergency Hospitalizations, Sean Russel-Jacque Zauhar
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
With the increasing amount of police calls involving persons experiencing a mental health crisis (PICs), agencies are looking for ways to reduce the overuse of emergency services and criminal confinement. Police-mental health collaborative (PMHC) programs were developed to utilize the expertise of both mental health and law enforcement practitioners to provide immediate linkage to psychiatric services in an effort to prevent unnecessary involvement in the criminal justice system. The theoretical framework for this study was built on the sequential intercept model (SIM) along with the theories of social network and social support. The SIM identifies 5 key points where PICs …
Stress Preparedness For Law Enforcement Officers Via Academic Training, Matthew Ridgeway Burke
Stress Preparedness For Law Enforcement Officers Via Academic Training, Matthew Ridgeway Burke
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Most law enforcement officers experience a traumatic event within the first 3 years of duty but may not receive proper mental health training in the police academy to prepare them for a career in law enforcement, and little is understood about police academy training regarding mental health. Using secondary traumatic stress (STS) as a conceptual framework, the purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the perspective of law officers on the usefulness of academy training to prevent or manage mental health issues that may arise from law enforcement duty. Data were collected from 35 law enforcement officers in a …
Use Of Force: Perception Of Racial Minorities And Police Officers In Southeastern United States, William Henry Riter, Jr.
Use Of Force: Perception Of Racial Minorities And Police Officers In Southeastern United States, William Henry Riter, Jr.
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
The amount of force used by law enforcement officers has become a highly-charged topic, especially among racial minority citizens and the law enforcement community. While the use of force by police officers is permitted by law enforcement agencies and expected by citizens, the amount and type of force used can trigger or cause problems, such as distrust or loss of confidence for the police agency, if the public perceives the force to be unjustified. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the use of force by police officers and how to improve the relationship between racial minority citizens …
Local Law Enforcement's Ability To Transform Inputs Into Counterterrorism Outputs, Melissa S. Gresham
Local Law Enforcement's Ability To Transform Inputs Into Counterterrorism Outputs, Melissa S. Gresham
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Leadership within local police organizations should be able to, but do not, process information and create actionable strategies aimed toward proactive counterterrorism practices. This problem could lead to future terrorist attacks within the United States if police agencies do not adjust their tactics in response to growing terrorist threats. A possible cause of this problem is that leadership within local law enforcement agencies is reactive in nature and as a consequence, do not encourage officers to engage in proactive strategies. Using Easton's conceptualization of systems theory as the foundation, the purpose of this case study of a single law enforcement …
Media Exposure And Social Response As Predictors Of Citizen's Attitudes Toward Police, Tara A. Garrison
Media Exposure And Social Response As Predictors Of Citizen's Attitudes Toward Police, Tara A. Garrison
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Police-involved deaths of African Americans have increased over the past two decades, with continued high-profile media exposure. The problem is that extant research provided only a partial understanding and disparate focus about how media exposure, social responses, social media use, and attitudes towards police were possibly related to citizens witnessing acts of police-initiated actions against African Americans in the United States. The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess the predictive nature of media exposure, social response, and social media use concerning citizens' attitudes towards police. The two theories supporting this study and shaped this hypothetical system are media …
Servant Leadership And Humility In Police Promotional Practices, Kevin C. Barker
Servant Leadership And Humility In Police Promotional Practices, Kevin C. Barker
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
The improper promotion of police officers who lack effective police management skills results in poor supervisor/employee relationships and could have a further negative effect on the relationships between officers and citizens. Yet, few police departments utilize leadership testing in making promotional decisions. The purpose of this quantitative, descriptive study was to explore whether servant leadership, from the perspective of police officers, is viewed as an effective leadership strategy. In particular, the focus of this study was on the element of humility as part of servant leadership theory. Data were collected by distributing the Servant Leadership Survey (SLS) to 2,794 police …
The Effect Of Rules On Racially-Influenced Policing And Police Uses Of Force, Joe D. Mazza
The Effect Of Rules On Racially-Influenced Policing And Police Uses Of Force, Joe D. Mazza
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Public opinion polls have shown the public lacks confidence in U.S. police to use appropriate amounts of force and treat racial minorities fairly, which undermines police legitimacy and the quality of life of all citizens. Although rules have been shown to positively constrain police uses of force, researchers have not demonstrated the effect of rules on racially influenced policing (RIP). In 2005, the RIP directive which prohibits officers from using race as a factor in taking discretionary actions was promulgated in New Jersey. The purpose of this study was to determine through the theoretical lens of Lipsky's street-level bureaucrat theory …
Policing The Mentally Ill In Coronado, Ca, Jennifer Susan Ayres
Policing The Mentally Ill In Coronado, Ca, Jennifer Susan Ayres
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
The growing number of individuals suffering from mental illnesses and their inability to access intervention methods has adverse effects on the criminal justice system. These impairments increase the likelihood that police officers will have negative attitudes about persons with mental illnesses. This study sought to understand whether police officers' empathy, education, experience outside of work as well as on the job, and officers' training in the field of mental health all related to police officers' attitudes relating to persons with mental illness. The purpose of this study was to expand the body of knowledge and determine how factors such as …
Examining Alignment Between Canadian Municipal Police Performance Evaluation Policies And Officer Perceptions, Birdella Wilson
Examining Alignment Between Canadian Municipal Police Performance Evaluation Policies And Officer Perceptions, Birdella Wilson
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
A lack of alignment between police performance evaluation policy purposes and officer performance evaluation perceptions has implications for the organizations' resource management, officer morale, and public safety. A literature review points towards a gap existing between policy purpose statements and employee perceptions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the policy purposes of police performance evaluations and the officers' perceptions of those evaluation experiences in 4 Ontario municipal police services. DiMaggio and Powell's (1983) Institutional theory was the foundation for this study. Data for this study were collected from 4 police services in Ontario, Canada. The …
The Relationship Between Increased Police Patrols And Violent Crime Rates In Seven United States Cities, Victor Sylvester Kabia
The Relationship Between Increased Police Patrols And Violent Crime Rates In Seven United States Cities, Victor Sylvester Kabia
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Large, metropolitan areas across the nation have experienced high rates of violent crime over the past 2 decades. As a consequence, law enforcement agencies have increased patrol efforts, but little is known about whether the decrease in violent crime rates was correlated to increased police patrols or to the economic variables of unemployment, inflation, level of education, unemployment compensation, and homeownership. The purpose of this non-experimental, correlational study was to examine the nature of the relationship between increased police patrols, the 5 economic variables, and violent crime rates in 7 large US cities for a 10-year period. The theoretical framework …
Traffic Enforcement, Policing, And Crime Rates, Marc Weiss Weiss
Traffic Enforcement, Policing, And Crime Rates, Marc Weiss Weiss
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Law enforcement agencies believe that traffic enforcement, in addition to reducing fatalities associated with automobile collisions, may also reduce the incidence of public order crimes. The academic literature, though, has largely failed to address this phenomenon. The purpose of this correlational study was to use Kelling and Wilson's broken windows theory to evaluate whether a statistically significant relationship exists between traffic enforcement rates and public order crimes in South Carolina. Secondary data from 5 counties were acquired from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division for the time period 2008 through 2012. Statistically …
Exploring The Use Of Texting Within San Antonio Texas Police Emergency Reporting, Deborah Lee Almendarez
Exploring The Use Of Texting Within San Antonio Texas Police Emergency Reporting, Deborah Lee Almendarez
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
The introduction of wireless device text messaging, as an alternative to a citizen placing a telephone call for police help, generates the need for new polices and processes relevant to police call-taker, police dispatcher, and police officer response to reported emergencies. Little scholarly research explores the policy issues around the use of text 9-1-1 within public safety answering point operations. Using systems theory as the foundation, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the potential use of written communication via a wireless device text message for reporting a police emergency. Research questions focused on the reciprocal relationships …
Effect Of The Criminal Justice Curriculum On The Attitudes Of 12th-Grade Students Toward The Police, Willie Howard Bradley
Effect Of The Criminal Justice Curriculum On The Attitudes Of 12th-Grade Students Toward The Police, Willie Howard Bradley
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
While the use of criminal justice courses and law-related education programs have been shown to serve as a crime prevention and deterrence mechanism against school crime and violence, and help students to gain positive experiences and attitudes toward law enforcement, many high schools still do not offer criminal justice courses. The purpose of this quasiexperimental study was to compare the attitudes of 12th-grade students from a school district in Massachusetts who took a criminal justice course to 12th-grade students from another school district in Massachusetts who did not to determine if there is a statistically significant difference between the groups. …
Critical Factors In Police Use-Of-Force Decisions, Orville Nickel
Critical Factors In Police Use-Of-Force Decisions, Orville Nickel
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
This study investigated law enforcement officers' perceptions of the legal, normative, and practical considerations that are implicit in their decisions when faced with using physical force. Law enforcement officers observe and protect fundamental human rights. A significant problem, however, is that physical force is sometimes misused, impacting public confidence in police services. The study was framed by Durkheim's conflict theory and Beirie's concepts of police corporate culture and social control. It used a grounded theory method and predeveloped case scenarios presented to 2 male focus groups of 7 and 6 participants respectively, and 2 female focus groups of 5 and …