Are they woke? Understanding the experiences of Black police officers

Over the past two decades there has been an increase in the number of Black Americans becoming police officers. Using a qualitative reflexive thematic analysis design, I investigated the beliefs and practices of Black police officers who completed law enforcement training at a police academy in the Midwest. Specifically, I explored the experiences of Black police officers in the wake of Black Lives Matter. I conducted semi-structured individual interviews with 10 Black police officers. At the core of participants’ experiences was a desire to create a change in the system through community-based policing. I also identified additional processes related to their experiences, including grappling with their multiple identities, coping with stress and trauma, and working to mend community police relations. I outline limitations of the study and implications for future research.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educational Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2023

Author dc:creator

• Waight, Cherese E

Contributors dc:contributor

• Neville, Helen A
• Cha-Jua, Sundiata
• Schlosser, Michael

• Woke
• Police Brutality
• Black Lives Matter

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2023 Cherese Waight

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/121394

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F121394