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- Creators: Barrett, The Honors College
Description
In recent years, sex trafficking awareness and intervention have skyrocketed in the United States. The 2016 Polaris Hotline Statistics Sheet reports a drastic increase of reported sex trafficking cases over the span of four years, with only 3,409 cases of human trafficking in 2012 and 8,042 in 2016, 73% of which were specifically sex trafficking cases (Polaris Project, 2016). The incidence of sex trafficking has not increased, but rather, attention to sex trafficking and implementation of legislation has increased awareness and reporting (Farrell et al., 2012). While this rise in public awareness of sex trafficking has positively impacted victim identification, there has not been an increase in convicting sex traffickers (Polaris Project, 2016). According to the 2016 Trafficking in Persons Report, 3,000 federal investigations that involved human trafficking, the majority of which specifically involved sex trafficking, were opened in 2015. Of these federal investigations, only 10% led to case prosecutions. Analyzing the relationship of law enforcement, specifically vice units, and victims of sex trafficking is just one of the many ways to address this complex issue. This study consisted of a qualitative analysis of the makeup, training, and policing methods of vice units nationwide. It further aimed to determine the vice officer perceptions regarding the elements that make sex trafficking cases convictable.
ContributorsPradhan, Krishnaa (Author) / Maienschein, Jane (Thesis director) / Kinzig, Ann (Committee member) / Kim, Grace (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
This research investigates how the current social stigma of law enforcement officers is established and the effect it has on the future of community-police relations. The research begins by finding the public’s perception of law enforcement over the last 50 years and how the public’s perception of law enforcement has or has not changed in the 21st century. To do this, three eras and one sporadic incident are investigated; the civil rights era, Rodney King incident in 1991, the war on terrorism and the millennial revolution. The idea there is still a large presence of systematic racism and police brutality against minority citizens from the 1960s (civil rights era) until now (millennial revolution) has led to the fall of law enforcement legitimacy. The public’s opinion that law enforcement is not a credible institution is supported by modern influences such as contemporary news networks and public figures. These influences have changed the future generation’s perceptions of law enforcement and promoted the ‘war on cops,’ which alters how law enforcement performs their duties. In response to the negativity built over the last 50 years, police department are working towards building community-police relations to create a positive change. The Phoenix Police Department (PPD) Community Relations Bureau is used as a case study. The PPD was chosen because it is the fastest growing city in the United States and there is personal connection to the author including residency and the opportunity for direct observations and interviews with Phoenix law enforcement personnel. The review of current community-police relation programs in Phoenix only includes three programs for children from seventh grade and up. This has produced the opportunity to create a program that targets elementary aged children. A children’s book, Discovering LEO, helps change the current social stigma of law enforcement through youth education. The story focuses on sharing the positivity of law enforcement officers’ role in the community and how officers are humans just like everyone else. The students who listen to the story learn that police officers are people to trust when you need help, even when the television is sharing negative rhetoric about law enforcement. The story also aims to teach children that the person inside the law enforcement uniform may also be a parent, spouse, friend, and/or neighbor, in addition to their role as a police officer.
ContributorsSchwanz, Morgan L. (Author) / McClelland, Blake (Thesis director) / Johnston, Coy (Committee member) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
This project was focused on critically analyzing legislation that was proposed in the Arizona State Senate concerning the release of peace-officer information in the wake of involvement in deadly-force incidents. The motivation for this project was drawn from my experience serving as a legislative intern for the Senate democratic staff during the spring of 2015. The first section includes details of the bill itself (SB 1445) and the process it underwent within the legislature. This includes an introduction to the controversies and stakeholders involved in the process. Second, data from interviews that I conducted with both those in support and those in opposition to the bill is analyzed. This section includes an in-depth look into the perspectives of stakeholders that may not have come out during public testimonies. Third, an outline of my own perspective on this bill and its process is included. Fourth, in a segment entitled Contextualizing Race in Policing, the national and local context of this bill is analyzed in order to arrive at conclusions that define problems underlying legislation like SB 1445. Fifth, in a segment entitled Next Steps, ideas are outlined on how to strengthen positive relationships between law enforcement and communities, drawing heavily from the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing.
ContributorsGalvan, Jose Pedro (Author) / Romero, Mary (Thesis director) / Perez, Nancy (Committee member) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
This creative project is the first draft of a database of financial records from Arizona law enforcement's use of the state asset forfeiture program from fiscal 2011-2015. Asset forfeiture is a program by which law enforcement can seize property suspected to have been used in a crime and can then use the property, cash, or proceeds from the property's auction for its own purposes, raising questions of conflicts of interest. The paper explains the methodology and goals for the database, while the database itself represents more than 11,000 pages of financial records and is more than 70,300 cells large.
ContributorsMahoney, Emily Livingston (Author) / Doig, Steve (Thesis director) / Petchel, Jacqueline (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / School of Music (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Previous research on law enforcement officers has not included studies of marital relationships from the spouse perspective, and tend to focus on workplace-based manifestations of stress and other health issues. This study fills a gap in current research by surveying police wives about their personal experiences of marriage to law enforcement officers, and mental health as it relates to themselves and their husbands. We examined the association of mental health stigma with marital quality in a sample of 969 police wives. We found a significant negative association between wives’ perceptions of police officers’ mental health stigma and marital quality, and additionally that wife characteristics of positive emotion and reappraisal are positively associated with marital quality, but do not act as moderators. We also discussed methods of reducing negative impacts of mental health stigma on marital quality, specifically mandatory police officer counseling and marital quality interventions.
ContributorsMarken, Catherine M (Author) / Sarah, Lindstrom Johnson (Thesis director) / Nicole, Roberts (Committee member) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
A creative project in the form of a video with the goal of educating police officers about Tourette Syndrome. The video is about 22 minutes in length. It consists of interviews with both professionals in the field and people who are personally affected by the disorder.
ContributorsStephens, Josie (Author) / Nascimento, Eliciana (Thesis director) / Wallace, Danielle (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
The way the public perceives law enforcement influences how communities function. Identifying how individuals develop their perceptions of law enforcement is critically important. Mainly, their experiences with officers determine how perceptions of law enforcement are developed. Analyzing perceptions of law enforcement can help people understand relationships that officers have with community members and determine the type of impact that officers have on certain populations such as the youth. This study examines youth perceptions of law enforcement. The youths’ perception of police is an important perception to analyze. It is important because their perceptions have the power to create change or influence other people their age. It has been seen that the youth “create meaningful institutional change in their communities”. The research and findings on perceptions of law enforcement are important because they could help explain whether there is a correlation between crime rates in the community and perceptions of law enforcement from community members. It can also help identify how much the youth population is willing to rely on law enforcement and whether they trust and respect them. The youth are exposed to factors in their community that can influence certain attitudes and perspectives. In this research, a study from Elementary schools in Compton, CA is analyzed to identify youth perceptions of law enforcement. The research questions addressed are: Is there any correlation between crime rates in the community and perceptions of law enforcement? Can a program implemented into schools improve youth perceptions of law enforcement? How much are the youth willing to rely on law enforcement?
ContributorsRodriguez Villarreal, Elizabeth (Author) / Fine, Adam (Thesis director) / Trinkner, Rick (Committee member) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor, Contributor) / School of Social Work (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The objective of this study was to investigate if 911 operators experience similar stressors and amounts of stress as law enforcement, fire, and EMS personnel. To accomplish this, I conducted a focus group to obtain information about similar stressors experienced by all three areas of emergency services. Then I utilized this information to form a survey to quantify the amounts of stress experienced by emergency service personnel. My findings indicate that the stress experience is similar.
ContributorsGreil, Amanda (Author) / LePine, Marcie (Thesis director) / Veach, Paula (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor)
Created2022-05