Date of Conferral

9-18-2024

Date of Award

9-18-2024

Degree

Doctor of Public Administration (D.P.A)

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Mark Stallo

Abstract

Poor community–police relationships impact both communities and police because the community may feel unfairly targeted for enforcement. This qualitative study investigated what attributes are essential to executive law enforcement success. The theoretical framework was the person-organization fit theory as it applies to public service motivation. Data were collected from chief law enforcement executives and their direct reports from eight municipal law enforcement agencies in the Dallas County area of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan Area through an open-ended qualitative questionnaire; the sample population consisted of 19 police executives. The results were analyzed using NVivo software and hand coding. The results were related to the areas of operational, administrative, and investigative experiences. Participants’ experiences fostered more positive relationships within and outside of their organizations and provided them with the skills to handle their duties and to meet organizational objectives. Findings may be used for positive social change by law enforcement agencies to evaluate various aspects of a candidate’s experience when considering officers for executive leadership positions.

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