RT Article
T1 Shifting law enforcement executive demographics: reflections in line-level officers
JF Journal of ethnicity in criminal justice
VO 24
IS 1
SP 47
OP 74
A1 Cohn, Benjamin K.
A1 Matusiak, Matthew C.
A2 Matusiak, Matthew C.
LA English
YR 2026
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1948295008
AB Although White men still make up a majority of law enforcement officers in the United States, explicit efforts to diversify the workforce have been effective at increasing the proportion of women, racial minorities and LGBTQ+ identified individuals. Drawing on the frameworks of representative bureaucracy, self-legitimacy and White backlash, this study seeks to understand the potential negative reactions to increased heterogeneity, specifically when people of color become chief law enforcement executives. We use LEMAS data from 2007, 2013, 2016, and 2020 to analyze whether leadership became more diverse as well as changes in agencies’ racial makeup. The data demonstrated an increase in the relative percentage of non-White executives. The agencies involved in a transition during this time experienced unique shifts in officer demographics.
K1 white Americans
K1 Race/ethnicity
K1 Race and policing
K1 Affirmative Action
DO 10.1080/15377938.2025.2590216