Master of Science in Criminal Justice, Youngstown State University, 2023, Department of Criminal Justice and Consumer Sciences

The following thesis focuses on problems and solutions pertaining to police officer-canine fatal interactions; commonly referred to as the puppycide. The term puppycide is used to refer to the amount of dogs that die at the hands of the police (Kaatz, 2014). To begin, there is an overview of different case law pertaining to these fatal interactions. These cases are used to help demonstrate the problems these interactions are causing for communities, law enforcement personnel and departments across the United States. Along with this, Ohio's Peace Officer Basic Training Curriculum, specifically pertaining to companion animal encounters, is analyzed and compared to other readily available resources and training guides for police officers. After examining and analyzing all these resources, the research question of, “what could be modified in order to address the puppycide in the state of Ohio” is addressed and discussed. This question is answered by introducing modifications to the current Ohio Peace Officer Training curriculum. These changes include more in-depth training for police academy cadets and the inclusion of lectures on dog behaviors and body language for police departments. Along with these modifications, a police officer canine encounter report log and database are also introduced in order to ensure that the changes within the classroom are being reflected within the community.

Committee: Monica Merrill PhD (Advisor); Christopher Bellas PhD (Committee Member); Charles VanDyke EdD (Committee Member) Subjects: Criminology; Education; Law

Master of Science in Criminal Justice, Youngstown State University, 2010, Department of Criminal Justice

This research explores how higher education among law enforcement officers may influence liability. Research in the area of police officer educational level and liability is sparse, with most comparing education with performance or other levels of measure. More specifically this thesis investigates complaints among police officers by level of education. In particular, the focus is on law enforcement officers with baccalaureate and more advanced degrees and their liability rates when compared to those with high school diplomas or GEDs. This study will examine criminal, civil, and administrative complaints that were filed against degreed and non-degreed law enforcement officers from a police department in Mahoning County, Ohio. These proceedings will then be analyzed to determine whether the degreed officers have a reduced risk of criminal, civil, and administrative liability. The central hypothesis is that degreed officers will have a lower rate of complaints sustained (in other words found guilty) when officially complained of wrongdoing in 1) criminal, 2) civil, and 3) administrative proceedings. The primary variables will be complaint type, education level, and complaint outcome. The importance of this research will assist law enforcement administrators address departmental liability risks and provide potential options to reducing liability.

Committee: Patricia Wagner J.D. (Committee Chair); John Hazy PhD (Committee Member); C. Allen Pierce PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Community Colleges; Continuing Education; Criminology; Education; Higher Education; Inservice Training; Management

Bachelor of Arts, Walsh University, 2022, Honors

Over the past few years, the nationwide protests over the long-standing plague of racism in our country, most recently manifested in the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor, have placed our nation before a “fork in the road.” We stand on the precipice of monumental change or devastating regression in the area of race relations within our nation. This has been most vivid in the relationship between law enforcement and the African American community. What comes next between these two parties will depend on how law enforcement responds to the cries of the people in these affected communities. Historically, particularly in African American communities, there has been an intimate connection between social movements and sensitives to injustice and faith. At the same time, there appears to be a decreasing appreciation of faith among law enforcement officers. If the disparity between the attitude towards faith by law enforcement and the significance of faith in communities of color continues to increase, it will undoubtedly lead to more tension between these two communities. I hypothesize that reconciliation between law enforcement and African American communities can be achieved through the inclusion of religious literacy in the training and formation of law enforcement officers. As a disclaimer, it is important to understand that the building of trust and the reparation of relationships is an effort that requires the cooperation of both sides. This means that there has to be a willingness and an understanding from both law enforcement and communities of color for any real difference to be made. It is also important to recognize that this is not a “black versus white” issue, this is an issue that affects society as a whole. This understanding will be made present throughout this research, but the primary focus will be on the inclusion of religious literacy in the formation of law enforcement officers.

Committee: Fr. Louis Bertrand Lemoine O.P. (Other); Cary Dabney (Advisor) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Behaviorial Sciences; Criminology; Divinity; Law; Legal Studies; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Psychology; Religion; Religious Education; Religious History; Sociology; Theology; World History

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2013, Urban Studies and Public Affairs

ABSTRACT Central to the issue of cultural competence, law enforcement administrators and sworn peace officers are assigned the task of protecting and serving members of diverse communities. In short, from a global perspective policing requires that peace officers are routinely involved in both social and human relations tasks. Furthermore, as core components of policing it is in those tasks that being able to adapt cross culturally (dimensions of being culturally competent) become clear and significant, particularly with demographic shifts showing increases in racial, ethnic, and cultural compositions (Passel and Cohn, 2008; United States Census Bureau, 2010). To that end Bennet (1995) posited, “As with other kinds of social change, law enforcement agencies must adapt to the population shifts” (p.1). This exploratory study uses the 4 scales of the Cross Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI) to examine, describe, and compare patterns of adaptability, a key attribute of cultural competence. The Defense Science Board (2011) defined adaptability as, “the ability and willingness to anticipate the need for change, to prepare for that change, and to implement changes in a timely and effective manner in response to the surrounding environment” (p. 1). This research study was designed to explore sworn peace officers' adaptability. Studying adaptability provides a means to investigate the self-perceived cultural competencies among sworn peace officers while investigating to what extent the demographic factors of (1) race/ethnicity, (2) gender, (3) age, (4) education, and (5) professional experience affect these competencies among sworn peace officers employed by law enforcement agencies in the Midwest Region of the State of Ohio.

Committee: Raymond Cox III Dr. (Advisor); RaJade Berry-James Dr. (Committee Member); Ghazi Falah Dr. (Committee Member); Jeffrey Wallace Dr. (Committee Member); John Queener Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Public Administration; Public Policy