Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Human Services

Advisor

Andrew N. Carpenter

Abstract

AbstractRecent studies suggest a negative shift in the way the public views U.S. law enforcement officers (LEOs), including an increased lack of trust. Mistrust may be attributed to misuse of power, abuse of discretion, or the extension of professional courtesy by LEOs. While discretion, and the misuse of discretion has been studied by many scholars, decision making process related to professional courtesy has not been studied as a contributing factor. The problem addressed in this study is the negative environment of mistrust between law enforcement and the public that can make it difficult for an officer to do their job effectively. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to understand how LEOs, specifically supervisors, decide whether to follow their written policies and procedures when they encounter other police officers, firefighters, or political officials engaged in an arrestable offense. Bandura’s social learning theory was used as the theoretical framework. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and scenarios with 15 former law enforcement supervisors who worked in the southern region of the United States. Data were analyzed to identify common themes, and four key findings emerged: (a) political interference, (b) religious motivations, (c) lack of training and confidence, and (d) fear of public reprisal. The themes and findings were discovered using open coding, sorting, notes and memos, and analytical techniques such as pattern matching for thematic analysis. The knowledge gained from this research study may expand knowledge in the fields of criminal justice, law enforcement, and ethics to further facilitate positive social change through better training, education, and policy development for law enforcement.

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