Date of Conferral

11-20-2025

Date of Award

November 2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Criminal Justice

Advisor

Marisa Bryant

Abstract

The research problem for this study is why confrontations between urban police and citizens are becoming increasingly violent. The purpose of this study was to examine the continued rise of violent police encounters between urban police and urban citizens. To provide a proper perspective on this phenomenon, the core research question was how African American officers born and raised in urban environments who have since become police officers in those same settings feel about the violence between these two groups. The theoretical framework used to understand the relationship between the two groups was the social learning theory. As part of the phenomenological study design, data were collected by conducting in-depth, semi-structured interviews with nine African American retired police officers who worked specifically in the Baltimore Metropolitan area. The data were analyzed for patterns and themes using inductive coding. Four themes emerged: race and policing, policing philosophy and practices, departmental culture and racism, and community perception/trauma. Community perception seemed to be the most significant point of contention between the two focal groups. This study’s results may promote positive social change by identifying key strategic areas for police reform within the police organizations in the study area.

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