The Pathway Forward: Uncovering the Barriers Faced by Women Police Chiefs

Women have encountered many obstacles in their quest to gain leadership in law enforcement. While research has studied how well women officers strive to achieve higher-level positions within police departments, the challenges women face when they gain top leadership roles remain largely unexplored. This research paper will discuss the unique challenges faced by women police chiefs, drawing from first-hand experiences of women police chiefs and existing literature. The study finds that women police chiefs encounter challenges in communication, transferring to a new department, overtasking, introvertedness, and general police chief stress. The study also finds that women police chiefs implement ways to improve communication, quiet time to think, emotional intelligence, delegate, and remain consistent with overcoming their challenges. This study informs law enforcement leaders on better supporting women police chiefs and future generations

The Anatomy of a Crisis: Law Enforcement Leaders’ Perspective on Police Enforcement

Although law enforcement in the United States has faced past challenges, it is currently facing unprecedented crises. Previous research has shown that police officer retention and recruitment rates are diminishing, causing ripple effects throughout the U.S. police departments (Bowman et al., 2006). This study examines the anticipated challenges that law enforcement leaders face in lieu of the current social and political climate. The study uses a grounded qualitative theory and a phenomenological approach to understand participants’ experiences. Police chiefs and sheriffs were interviewed to get a leadership perspective on the anticipated challenges. The leaders described that challenges expected in the current crisis are: the rise of police exodus due to negative public perceptions, low recruitment numbers, lack of mentorship, and the defunding of police