Date
2-29-2024
Department
Helms School of Government
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice (PhD)
Chair
Matthew Lamade
Keywords
Recruitment and Retention, Law Enforcement, Miami-Dade, Police, George Floyd
Disciplines
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Vesco, Carlos A., "Recruitment and Retention in the Post-Floyd Era: A Phenomenological Study of Miami-Dade County Law Enforcement" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5245.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5245
Abstract
This study employed a phenomenological approach to analyze law enforcement professionals' perspectives regarding police recruitment and retention in Miami-Dade County after the murder of George Floyd. The study focuses on two primary issues: the ongoing shortage of police officers and the absence of effective retention measures. The study’s theoretical approach is informed by the principles of transformational leadership theory and Herzberg’s two-factor motivation-hygiene theory. The research utilized a qualitative methodology, including face-to-face interviews with a total of twenty-nine participants from three police jurisdictions within Miami-Dade County. These individuals were selected based on their experience in the field. The data was collected, coded, and examined by manual means. The study yielded noteworthy results, which may be summarized as follows: (1) The responses provided by officers from different jurisdictions indicate a shared perspective that recruiting efforts in Miami-Dade County have not been sufficiently prioritized. (2) The consensus among law enforcement officers is nearly uniform in acknowledging the persistent challenges associated with recruitment and retention, emphasizing the need for further examination and intervention.
