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

Master of Science in Criminal Justice, Youngstown State University, 2020, Department of Criminal Justice and Consumer Sciences

Racial disparities in law enforcement have been a point of contention since their origin in the middle of the 19th Century. Employment in law enforcement has frequently shown discriminatory treatment to females, minorities and other ethnic groups due to its white-male dominated, paramilitary origin. Deviation from this paramilitary structure has caused more widespread discrimination, prejudice, and racism. This thesis will examine the amount of racial disparity present in a selection of Ohio law enforcement. There have been many advances in minority employment but minorities are still underrepresented in law enforcement. There are still minority communities that don't see diversity in their police departments, courts, and correctional facilities. Data will be used from the 2016 Bureau of Justice Statistics survey, and the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) database and information on six Local Police Departments in Ohio, namely Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Steubenville. Statistics from the Pew Research Center and the Census Bureau will also be used to pull statistics from local police departments and their numbers of minorities amongst the ranks. This research will cover the hiring and the promotional processes that often disqualifies minorities. It will also proffer a solution that will allow for a more nondiscriminatory process.

Committee: Monica Merrill PhD (Advisor); Patricia Bergum Wagner J.D (Committee Member); Cristobal Ruiz M.S (Committee Member) Subjects: Criminology

PHD, Kent State University, 2010, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Political Science

As advancements in mobility and communication technology significantly changed policing strategies in the twentieth century, recent advancements in analytical technology have the most potential to drive contemporary strategic innovation in policing organizations. The crime analysis function is essential to the implementation of innovations including problem-oriented, intelligence-led, and homeland security policing strategies. A robust analytical function is necessary for policing agencies to culturally and structurally transition from reactive and incident-driven organizations to proactive and mission-driven organizations. Although policing strategies that provide an alternative to the standard model of policing receive a considerable amount of scholarly attention, implementation of the analytical function required to institutionalize innovative strategies has only recently come under examination. This study poses three questions in examining the implementation of crime analysis in Ohio police departments. First, has crime analysis emerged in Ohio police departments? Second, has crime analysis been institutionalized in Ohio police departments? Finally, what type(s) of crime analysis is implemented in Ohio police departments? Data used in this study come from a survey administered to all municipal police departments in Ohio and interviews with chiefs of police. The data indicate low analytical capacity in Ohio police departments and poor understanding of crime analysis by policing executives. The absence of substantial analytical infrastructure, databases, distribution, and interpretive processes in Ohio police departments inhibits the implementation of strategic alternatives to the standard model of policing.

Committee: Steven Brown PhD (Committee Co-Chair); David Kessler PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Mark Colvin PhD (Committee Member); Susan Roxburgh PhD (Committee Member); Cathy DuBois PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Criminology; Political Science; Public Administration; Public Policy

Master of Science in Criminal Justice, Youngstown State University, 2015, Department of Criminal Justice and Consumer Sciences

The topic of motivation has been researched extensively, including where it affects job satisfaction and performance. Current research suggests that motivating factors may be evolving with younger generations entering the work force. This research was designed to compare current generation law enforcement recruits to recruits from earlier research in terms of preference in self-serving motivations over altruistic motivations. Current police academy cadets (N=176) were surveyed in northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania, and were asked about their motivation for choosing a law enforcement career. Statistical analysis of the data included comparisons between groups in the sample and against previous research. This research suggests that law enforcement motivation has remained stable over the past 30 years. The results reflect few significant variations in motivation based on year of birth. Additionally, few significant differences were seen by gender, race, social class, educational levels, and law enforcement and military experience. However, significant variances were present between Ohio and Pennsylvania academies. Future research should focus on comparisons of motivation between states and evaluating motivation changes over time.

Committee: John Hazy PhD (Advisor); Richard Rogers PhD (Committee Member); Gordon Frissora PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Public Administration; Sociology

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Ohio University, 2024, Business Administration

The purpose of this research is to examine the existing cyberharassment laws around the world and identify common themes that can enhance protections for the more than 50% of American adults who have experienced cyberharassment in their lifetimes. Dealing with the practical limitations of examining every country's law and the intent to benefit Americans, this qualitative analysis dissects the cyberharassment laws of two countries from each continent selected using criteria that allow for cross-examination with U.S. cyberharassment laws. The criteria used for selection incorporate population, power, influence, and unique regulatory factors not currently present in other countries. Through the evaluation of scholarly research and existing cyberharassment legislation, the coding system used in this analysis grew to include four categories of codes: Initiation, Factors Required by Law, Penalties, and Cyber-specific. By exploring these various approaches to solving the crisis of cyberharassment, this study works to explore additional considerations for online platforms that may revolutionize the way Americans interact with social media and ever-advancing technology. Included in this discussion are the unique factors that the United States specifically must consider when attempting to address cybercrimes like cyberharassment, including the First Amendment and American judiciary, corporate sovereignty, and cyber liberties, among others.

Committee: Vic Matta (Advisor) Subjects: Business Administration; Law; Political Science; Public Policy

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2016, History

This dissertation places state lawmaking and local enforcement at the center of its analysis of the U.S. drug wars by exposing California's efforts to reduce the traffic in illicit substances during the first two decades of the postwar era. In contrast with existing work that sees drug enforcement as federally directed, this research reveals that state and local initiatives drove attitudes and action on illegal drugs. The California drug-control experience in the postwar era shows that the drug wars were locally escalated through grassroots campaigns, overzealous law enforcement, and political jockeying to solve the problem of increasing illicit drug use. Beginning just after World War II, law enforcement agencies and the mass media in the greater Los Angeles area encouraged widespread panic over heroin and marijuana smuggled from Mexico. Federal agencies fueled this concern during congressional hearings on organized crime, which connected the "narcotics menace" to the mafia and communism, birthing local crime commissions focused on drugs and juvenile delinquency. Police Chief William H. Parker engineered a brutal narcotics enforcement regime that targeted minority neighborhoods and violated the constitutional rights of drug defendants in defiance of court rulings, suggesting Los Angeles as a western site of massive resistance. Californians interrogated the relationships between federal, state, and local enforcement arms, whose leaders often disagreed and failed to cooperate. Increasingly politicized, drug control became a major issue in the 1962 governor's race, with Republican Richard Nixon pressing for harsh penalties and Democrat Pat Brown seeking to protect the rights of drug defendants and replace prison time with rehab. California's critique of the federal drug-control regime was widely publicized and convinced President John F. Kennedy to reorganize federal agencies tasked with combatting drugs. California exercised an early and deep influence over the cours (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: David Stebenne (Advisor); Paula Baker (Committee Member); David Steigerwald (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; American Studies; History; International Relations; Mass Media; Public Policy

PHD, Kent State University, 2010, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Political Science

The later part of the 20th Century observed a considerable resurgence in sex or deviant offender statutes; now reclassified as community notification laws. The new policies, unlike previous legislation, offer community-wide notification, increased monitoring and full disclosure of offender's personal information to the public. This study found that receiving more thorough information about specific sex offenders appears to raise, rather than allay, concerns about sex offenders. Law enforcement agencies with written policies on the law benefited with increased information sharing among other criminal justice agencies, but urban departments reported a strain on departmental resources and increased workloads. Older, single, African-American and offenders that did not graduate high school or obtain a GED or dropped out before the 9th grade were more likely to be incarcerated for longer a period of time for violating the failure to verify address portion of the law. Megan's law is designed to address more fully the social problem of sex offenders. However, given its more punitive sentiments, the law creates unintended consequences for citizens, law enforcement and offenders. The law heightens fear and concern among citizens about sex offenders. In the process, the supposed deterrent effect of the law is unfulfilled. The law places burdens and underfunded mandates on law enforcement and does nothing to promote effective sex offender treatment to reduce recidivism or aid in offender compliance.

Committee: David Kessler A (Committee Co-Chair); Mark Colvin W (Committee Co-Chair); Renee Johnson (Committee Member); Vera Camden (Committee Member); Kristin Mickelson D (Other) Subjects: Criminology; Law; Political Science

Master of Science in Criminal Justice (MSCJ), Bowling Green State University, 2009, Criminal Justice

This study investigated the nature and degree of state level statutory regulation for private police and security guards with a specific intent to analyze arrest powers for these agents. Previous literature has examined statutory regulation, but has ignored any discussion of arrest powers for private law enforcement and security agents. A content analysis on applicable state laws explorers the type, nature, and degree of statutory regulation. Results indicate some measure of similarity among regulation between states. Only one state, Ohio, allows private police full arrest powers.

Committee: Dr. Michael Buerger (Committee Chair); Dr. William King (Committee Member); Dr. John Liederbach (Committee Member) Subjects: Criminology; Law

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2012, Political Science (Arts and Sciences)

China has over the past several years begun to implement a new Maritime Law Enforcement (MLE) strategy in the South China Sea. This new MLE strategy utilizes vessels from China's rapidly expanding MLE agencies, reinforced by PLA naval and other military assets, to assert the country's claims against other Southeast Asian claimants, particularly Vietnam and the Philippines. A noticeably dramatic increase in the number of incidents at sea in disputed areas has occurred alongside the implementation of this new strategy, escalating tensions to dangerous levels. China's MLE strategy is an evolution in thinking from previous PLA doctrine, and is in many ways the operationalized extension of concepts such as 'legal warfare'. The employment of the strategy not only risks upsetting China's relations with its neighbouring countries, but may also be suggestive of an emerging contest between China and the US over international norms at sea.

Committee: Takaaki Suzuki Dr. (Committee Chair); Carlyle Thayer Dr. (Committee Member); Andrew Ross Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Asian Studies; International Relations; Political Science

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1969, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2024, Counseling Psychology

Police culture is based on traditional masculinity ideology and traditional gender beliefs (Silvestri, 2017), and is a male-dominated profession (Ashlock, 2019). As dictated by masculine norms, police officers do not typically disclose struggles with mental health (Demou et al., 2020), and tend to face several barriers regarding seeking professional psychological treatment. This is problematic due to the myriad mental health concerns faced by police officers, such as PTSD, anxiety, and depression, resulting from work related stress (Demou et al., 202; Papazoglou & Anderson, 2014; Haugen et al., 2012). Police officers experience high levels of self -stigma related to mental health problems (Karaffa &Koch, 2016), andreportlow levels of perceived organizational supportwithin their departments (Tucker, 2015), which may influence their attitudes regarding help-seeking. The aim of the current study was to gain a deeper understanding of the potential contributingmechanisms to the negative help-seekingattitudes consistently foundamong police officers. Using Gender Role Strain Paradigm (Pleck, 1981) as the primary contextual framework, the current study evaluated the role that masculinity ideology, self-stigma, perceived organizational support, and help-seeking attitudes play in police officer distress. Two moderated mediation models with one moderator were used within this study, as well as one mediation model and two moderation models. The current sample consisted of 456 current police officers and results suggested that perceived organizational support plays a significant moderating role in the relationship between masculinity ideology and help-seeking behaviors; such that perceived organizational support weakens the negative relationship between masculinity ideology and help seeking attitudes. The current study also demonstrated that, in general, masculinity ideology is significantly and negatively related to help-seeking attitudes.

Committee: John Queener (Advisor); David Baker (Committee Member); Ingrid Weigold (Committee Member); Margo Gregor (Committee Member); Ronald Levant (Committee Member); Dimitria Gatzia (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology; Psychotherapy

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2024, Leadership and Change

Law enforcement is a male-dominated field that has been slow to accept and promote African American women to positions of authority. As of 2016, there were only 3.1% Lieutenants and Sergeants, along with 1.6% Captains or higher that were African American women in the United States (Gomez, 2016). More recently, there has not been much change, as women are reportedly only 12% of the sworn officers and 3% of law enforcement leadership in the United States (Tumulty, 2023). Of that number, only 1% of African American women hold the position of Lieutenant or higher (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives [ATF], 2023). There are subtle barriers that women and minorities experience that keep them from moving up in the management hierarchy of law enforcement. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of African American women law enforcement supervisors related to the barriers encountered during their career, especially with promotion, and vital skills necessary for job performance. The study assessed advances, impacts on performance, peer intimidation, sexual harassment, discrimination, and other barriers that African American women face while pursuing top-level positions in law enforcement. The study included interviewing eight African American women law enforcement officers in Georgia, active duty and retired, that have held the positions of Commissioner, Chief, Captain, Lieutenant, Detective, Sergeant, and or Corporal. The following five themes emerged as a representation of their perceptions: (a) “Obstacles”: Operation Stumbling Blocks, (b) “Sabotage”: Monkey Wrench in the Works, (c) “Jealousy”: The Green-Eyed Monster, (d) “Overlooked”: Privy Passover, and (e) “Combative/ Overly Aggressive”: Angry Black Woman Syndrome. This study also has implications for lawmakers, departmental leads, and all level agencies of law enforcement to eliminate barriers, increase diversity, and practice e (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Stewart Burns PhD (Committee Chair); Diane Allerdyce PhD (Committee Member); Nadine Wheat PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; Gender; Philosophy

Doctor of Organization Development & Change (D.O.D.C.), Bowling Green State University, 2024, Organization Development

Throughout history, police reform initiatives have consistently been met with skepticism, with such initiatives having a variable impact on officer functioning. Many reform tactics focus on policy and procedure, with the goal seemingly being to turn officers into pre-programmed machines that follow a set course of actions. Unfortunately, in reality, it is rare for any single officer encounter to conform perfectly to training and policy. Thus, what is missing from such reform initiatives is an acknowledgment that officers are indeed human, and thus, individual discretion is a key component of officer action. The primary objective of this study is to better understand the multitude of factors that shape decision-making among law enforcement officers across various operational scenarios. By better understanding the influencers of officer decision-making, police agencies may be better equipped to develop training and policy geared towards improving officer-decisions in discretionary situations. The results obtained from the qualitative analysis reveal consistent patterns across diverse operational contexts. Organizational factors, such as organizational norms, supervisor expectations, and the reward structure, emerge as central determinants, significantly influencing officers' actions and decisions. Additionally, personal factors, such as intrinsic motivations and individual differences, influence officer decision-making, suggesting a one size fits all approach to officer decision-making training and development may be ineffective. Thirdly, officers are aware of external factors, such as media and social media portrayals and general public opinion, and such considerations are weighed when determining a course of action. Lastly, in certain contexts, factors such as the nature of the violation, or characteristics of the violator, influence officer decision-making, though seemingly less frequently than organizational, personal, or external factors. These findings undersc (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Truit Gray Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Maggie Brooks Ph.D. (Committee Member); Steve Cady Ph.D. (Committee Member); Shirley Tandoh Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: Criminology

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2024, Sociology

Decades of misconduct and crime committed by law enforcement officers throughout the United States have been uncovered by investigative journalism, independent commissions, and ethnographic research. Theoretical studies identify that individual and cultural factors are significantly related to an officer's participation in criminal behavior. There exists a lack of complete understanding of how an officer's community and environment may influence their participation in police crime. The purpose of this dissertation is to advance the field of criminology by expanding the structural level understanding of police crime through a theoretical lens and quantitative approach on a national scale. Drawing from social disorganization theory, five nationwide datasets are merged to construct a longitudinal, panel dataset that describes police crime throughout American counties. Using a structural level theoretical perspective, this project broadly explores how the characteristics of American counties may be associated with the criminal behaviors of police officers. The tenets of social disorganization theory suggest that counties with antecedents of social disorganization (such as characteristics of poverty, transient populations, and low educational attainment) should be associated with higher counts of police crime and general crime. Three research questions are investigated in this dissertation. The first two analytical chapters ask the following research questions: First, do county level variables correlate with counts of police crime? Second, are the correlates of general crime the same for police crime at a structural level? I construct and compare mixed-effects models regressing police crime and general crime onto county level variables. A comparison of these models informs a discussion about the structural similarities and differences between police crime and general crime. These findings inform the final analytical chapter, which explores the potentially interwoven (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: John H. Boman IV, Ph.D (Committee Chair); Danielle Kuhl Ph.D (Committee Member); Wendy Manning Ph.D (Committee Member); Thomas J. Mowen Ph.D (Committee Member); Philip Matthew Stinson J.D., Ph.D. (Committee Member); Starr E. Keyes Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Criminology; Sociology

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Information Technology

Artificial intelligence is evolving rapidly. The advent of generative AI has begun to impact businesses, governments, academia, and many other industries alike. Traditional practices like policing are likely to see some of the most beneficial aspects of this disruptive wave of technology. However, little guidance exists on how AI can be integrated into practices to maximize its benefits and avoid pitfalls. This dissertation examines how police departments adopt technology and recommends adopting generative AI as a partner. The dissertation uses eleven instances of the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Survey (LEMAS) spanning 1987 to 2020 (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2006, 2008a, 2008b, 2008c, 2011, 2012a, 2012b, 2012c, 2015, 2020, 2023). It includes approximately 3,000 policing agencies across the United States per survey instance. The total number of questions per survey varied from one instance to another. In total, the dissertation examines 479 variables and analyzes 1,355,989 variable responses. A package of multiple software programs using the Python programming language was created to prepare the data and conduct the analysis. Overall, three types of analyses were performed. The first was a thematic analysis to identify questions that could demonstrate how police departments adopt technology. A software program was created to validate the thematic analysis using generative AI and two distinct large language models. Using the result of the first analysis, a dynamic weight equation was developed to create a technology adoption index using 458 variables. An additional software program was created to generate the index scores for each agency and survey instance. Third, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and linear regression were used to determine if there is a statistically significant difference among survey observations. Technology adoption trends are presented for the three decades of observations for every state in the United States. T (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Hazem Said Ph.D. (Committee Chair); M. Murat Ozer Ph.D. (Committee Member); John Eck Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Technology

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

The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act, more widely known as the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, is a groundbreaking piece of legislation that was swiftly enacted in response to the terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 consists of ten different sections of text thoroughly detailing redesigned governmental functions, all of which generally aim to prevent, mitigate, and eliminate the threat that terrorism poses against the United States and its citizens. The second section, known as Title II: Enhanced Surveillance Procedures, expanded federal law enforcement's authority to conduct more thorough surveillance of terrorist activity. This thesis is guided by the following research question: How has the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 impacted the way that federal law enforcement conducts the surveillance of terrorist activity in the United States? For this thesis, the methodology and design consists of an explanatory, single-case study which investigates and analyzes Title II of the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 within the context of surveillance counterterrorism measures implemented by federal law enforcement in the United States. This thesis builds upon preexisting counterterrorism literature and is beneficial to future studies which attempt to thwart the perpetual fight against terrorism and strengthen national defense against foreign and domestic enemies.

Committee: Christopher Bellas PhD (Advisor); Monica Merrill PhD (Committee Member); Jason Simon MS (Committee Member) Subjects: Law; Public Policy

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Tactical athletes (i.e., military, law enforcement, fire service, and emergency medical response personnel) protect and serve local and national communities. The work environments of tactical athletes have high performance demands that influence injury rates and affect overall wellbeing. Measuring the movement requirements of tactical athletes can help build the understanding of what physical attributes are needed to perform with lower risk of injury, enhanced career longevity, and improved quality of life. Motion capture technologies record biomechanical patterns that describe movement quality, measure recovery after injury, and can be used to improve performance. While motion capture has traditionally been limited to laboratory environments, advances in markerless motion capture and inertial measurement unit (IMU) technologies allow movement biomechanics to be more easily measured outside of laboratories. Tactical athletes' dynamic operational environments are responsible for many of the increased risks they experience, so measuring movement in those environments also maximizes the applicability of the information gained. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to determine the current uses and the accuracy of motion capture technologies in tactical athletes and to apply IMUs in an evaluation of law enforcement movement patterns. Aim 1 systematically reviewed the current uses of accelerometers and IMUs to measure movement in tactical athletes. The results of this aim identified that accelerometers and IMUs were much more frequently used to measure movements of military personnel than first responders (i.e., law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical service personnel). Additionally, accelerometers' most common outcome measure was physical activity. There was a notable need to use IMUs to measure occupational exposures specifically in law enforcement and emergency medical service personnel. Aim 2 evaluated the validity of markerless, IMU, a (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: James Oñate (Advisor); Catherine Quatman-Yates (Committee Member); Joshua Hagen (Committee Member); Jaclyn Caccese (Committee Member) Subjects: Biomechanics; Kinesiology; Occupational Health

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, 2022, Department of Criminal Justice and Consumer Sciences

The murder of George Floyd was a pivotal moment in this country's continual fight on racism. As a result, the Black Lives Matter movement initiated a campaign to defund the police. This research project will look at a purposive sample of 10 churches that were selected in Rust Belt cities of Ohio and western Pennsylvania. Transcripts were pulled from YouTube for the sermons from May 31, 2020, through June 21, 2020, for the 10 churches. This project used grounded theory when analyzing the texts in NVivo and the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count softwares to see if the churches selected took a position in any way regarding the Black Lives Matter movement. Results showed that 3 of the 10 churches had sermons that were sympathetic to the Black Lives Matter Movement. The majority of the churches had neutral sermons; however, all churches were similar in usage of keywords (specified below), authenticity, and tone. Future research is necessary to assist law enforcement with community relations and the potential connection between sermon topics and societal issues.

Committee: Richard Rogers PhD (Advisor); Monica Merrill PhD (Committee Member); Tammy King PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Law; Religious Congregations

Master of Science in Criminal Justice, Youngstown State University, 2022, Department of Criminal Justice and Consumer Sciences

In reaction to the tragic death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) Movement protests, several organizations took to the public to discuss their thoughts and opinions. An identified specific group of 10 churches and religious organizations was selected for analysis. This study sought to determine if the select group's initial discourse, specifically related to George Floyd and the BLM movement, was extreme in nature. Utilizing grounded theory, this study conducted thematic analysis on specific texts extracted from YouTube to determine if extremism exists within the community of initial discourse. Specific tags were identified for the purpose of analysis. It was determined that 5 of the 10 churches initially mainstreamed extremist beliefs to their followers, while the remaining 5 churches did not. The findings in this thesis serve as documentation for the initial community discourse that exists within an extremely pivotal moment in United States history. The collection of said discourse spreads awareness for how social issues are portrayed to the American public.

Committee: Richard Rogers Ph.D. (Advisor); Monica Merrill Ph.D. (Committee Member); Christian Onwudiwe Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Black Studies; Political Science; Religion