African American Female Law Enforcement Officers' Lived Experiences and Mentoring: a Thematic Narrative

African American Female Law Enforcement Officers' Lived Experiences and Mentoring: a Thematic Narrative

The University of San Francisco USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center Doctoral Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects 12-2019 African American Female Law Enforcement Officers' Lived Experiences and Mentoring: A Thematic Narrative Harold Wilson Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.usfca.edu/diss Part of the Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons, and the Sociology Commons The University of San Francisco AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS’ LIVED EXPERIENCES AND MENTORING: A THEMATIC NARRATIVE A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the School of Education Department of Leadership Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education by Harold Wilson San Francisco December 2019 THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO Dissertation Abstract African American Female Law Enforcement Officers’ Lived Experiences and Mentoring: A Thematic Narrative Black female officers are an underrepresented sub-group of the law-enforcement profession. The bulk of research on women’s policing has focused on the growth of women in law enforcement, barriers, sexual harassment, gender differences, why women are deterred from law enforcement, physical limitations, and instruments used during the recruitment process, and the stress endured after entry into the profession. When looking at Black female officers’ lived experience and perceptions around mentoring; research is lacking. Eight Black female officers from the San Francisco Bay Area participated in this study. Findings revealed that all of the women have faced a recurring sense of discrimination, based on their gender. Many participants also suggested a culture in which women are viewed as less capable and, are, at times, less valued. This study contributes to the literature by presenting Black female officers’ concerns, values, and experiences in the profession of law enforcement. These findings may also help shape policy, procedures, and recruitment tactics aimed at the retention and success of Black female law-enforcement officers. ii This dissertation, written under the direction of the candidate’s dissertation committee and approved by the members of the committee, has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty of the School of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. The content and research methodologies presented in this work represent the work of the candidate alone. Harold Wilson Nov. 26, 2019 Candidate Date Dissertation Committee Dr. Patricia Mitchell Nov. 26, 2019 Chairperson Date Dr. Walter Gmelch Nov. 26, 2019 Date Dr. Richard Johnson III Nov. 26, 2019 Date iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my committee chair, Professor Patricia Mitchell, who has provided me with invaluable support, assistance, and guidance. She continually provided the spirit of research and scholarship while also being my most ardent supporter. Without her motivation, energy, and persistent willingness to help this would not have been possible. I would like to thank my committee members, Professor Walter Gmelch and Professor Richard Johnson, who provided a perspective that transcended academia and provided insight into a current social need. In addition, I would like to thank Dr. Julie Ann Wilson who, without fail, provided inspiration and support. Her willingness to extend her experience and expertise during this writing process was invaluable. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii SIGNATURE PAGE ......................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv CHAPTER I THE RESEARCH PROBLEM ......................................................................1 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................2 Background and Need .................................................................................................4 Purpose of the Study ...................................................................................................8 Conceptual Framework ...............................................................................................8 Research Questions ...................................................................................................10 Delimitations and Limitations ..................................................................................11 Significance of the Study ..........................................................................................12 Definition of Terms ..................................................................................................14 Summary ...................................................................................................................15 CHAPTER II REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE.............................................................18 Restatement of the Problem ......................................................................................18 Police Force Diversity ..............................................................................................18 Women in Policing ...................................................................................................20 Summary ...................................................................................................................43 Police Culture ...........................................................................................................43 Mentoring of Female Police Officers .......................................................................45 Existential Review ....................................................................................................54 Summary of the Literature Review ...........................................................................58 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................59 Restatement of the Purpose of the Study ..................................................................59 Research Questions ...................................................................................................59 Research Design .......................................................................................................60 Research Setting .......................................................................................................60 Data-Collection Procedures ......................................................................................61 Narrative inquiry .......................................................................................................62 Population .................................................................................................................63 Instrumentation .........................................................................................................64 Protection of Human Subjects ..................................................................................65 Background /Role of Researcher ..............................................................................65 CHAPTER IV RESULTS ..................................................................................................67 Introduction ...............................................................................................................67 Participant 1: Lucy ....................................................................................................69 Participant 2 (Dorothy) .............................................................................................70 Participant 3 (Lennon) ..............................................................................................71 Participant 4 (Uhuru) ................................................................................................71 Participant 5 (Subject FIVE).....................................................................................72 Participant 6 (TWO-THOUSAND AND TWO) ......................................................73 Participant 7 (C) ........................................................................................................73 Participant 8 (Angel) .................................................................................................74 Findings: Research Question 1 .................................................................................74 Shared reasons for entering the Profession ...............................................................75 v Lack of female representation...................................................................................83 Outgroup membership ..............................................................................................85 Findings: Research Question 2 .................................................................................89 Academy/ FTO mentoring ........................................................................................92 Lack of Formal Mentoring ........................................................................................93 Findings: Research Question 3 .................................................................................97 Harassment and Discrimination .................................................................97

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