Date

5-16-2024

Department

Helms School of Government

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice (PhD)

Chair

Gregory Koehle

Keywords

Leadership, COVID-19, police officer well-being, Servant Leadership, decision-making

Disciplines

Leadership Studies | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative dissertation research project is to determine the impact that law enforcement leaders, their leadership styles, and decision-making processes have on the well-being of police officers. This study sought to understand this impact by focusing on the perspectives of frontline police officers, detectives, and first-line supervisors from various law enforcement organizations in the Central Virginia Region and within the context of leadership decisions made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the constructivist grounded theory approach to research design, 12 participants responded to an initial qualitative questionnaire, followed by a semi-structured interview to gain the rich, detailed data necessary to answer the research questions. Through the constant comparative analysis of the data, the key themes of unprecedented, job to do, family impact, negative impact, and positive impact emerged. These themes were synthesized to form an emerging theory explaining the research questions. This theory suggests that the processes law enforcement leaders use to make decisions impact police officer well-being, specifically in long-term, uncertain incidents like the global coronavirus pandemic. The study has implications for academic researchers and practitioners concerned with leadership in law enforcement organizations and police officer well-being. Future research recommendations are included in this study. Additionally, this research discusses recommendations for law enforcement leaders for future long-term, uncertain incidents like COVID-19.

Download

Share

COinS