Date of Conferral

7-11-2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Criminal Justice

Advisor

Lois Woods

Abstract

This quantitative research study examined whether earning a college degree reduced police officers’ use of force in Massachusetts during 2023. Reducing force incidents is a concern for both citizens and law enforcement due to increasing public scrutiny and a need to improve community-police relations. The purpose of this study was to determine whether police officers with college degrees are less likely to use force during citizen encounters compared to those with only a high school diploma. The first research question explored the difference in the amount of force used by municipal police officers with college degrees versus those with high school diplomas. The second research question addressed the relationship between officers’ age, work experience, gender, race, and their use of force. The theoretical framework guiding the study was Bandura’s social cognitive theory. Data were collected from 335 full-time police officers across three medium-sized civil service police departments and included both use-of-force incidents and personnel information. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t tests, and multiple regression analyses to examine differences and relationships related to use-of-force incidents. Results indicated a significant relationship between higher education and reduced use of force, as well as a decline in force incidents with increased years of experience. Future research may examine use-of-force data from non-civil service police departments in MA that require a college degree for employment and comparing it to data from a civil service police department that does not. This study’s findings may contribute to positive social change by offering direct benefits to both police and the communities they serve through reduced use-of-force incidents and fewer citizen complaints.

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