Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Criminal Justice

Advisor

Deborah Laufersweiler-Dwyer

Abstract

Cybercrime has become one of the fastest-growing concerns for law enforcement agencies at the federal, state, and municipal levels. This qualitative case study examined the perceptions of nine law enforcement officers’ from Texas regarding combating cybercrime at the local level. The conceptual framework was based on the structural contingency theory and Porter and Lawler’s theory of motivation. Data collection consisted of semistructured interviews, where member-checking helped to enhance the trustworthiness. In addition, data gathered from interview transcripts were inductively coded and used to organize data into categories to determine the themes in the study. Most of the participants in this study perceived that law enforcement agencies were not equipped to take a more prominent role in cybercrime investigations because of the lack of experience and resources. Participants also provided recommendations to address cybercrime at the local level, including helping community members understand cybercrime threats while empowering the public to become safer and more secure during online activity. Finally, many of the participants suggested that creating multiple cybercrime task forces located in major cities throughout the United States could serve as a method of combating cybercrime at the local level. This study’s positive social change implications include providing information to law enforcement agencies about potential gaps in combating cybercrime at the local level, along with recommendations for more streamlined cybercrime training for law enforcement officers to increase officer efficiencies in cybercrimes.

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