Perceived Barriers to Minority Female Recruitment and Retention in Law Enforcement

Representative bureaucracy indicates that police agencies should reflect the communities they serve to improve public perception of the agencies. An underrepresented population in U.S. law enforcement is minority females. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore participants’ lived experiences regarding perceived barriers to the recruitment and retention of minority females in U.S. law enforcement agencies. The study used theories of representative bureaucracy and intersectionality as frames. Data were collected from 15 survey responses and semi-structured interviews with minority female officers from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in Maryland. The data analysis included contingency tables and descriptive statistics. The findings revealed 5 core themes: motivation, evaluation, transformation, discrimination, and obstacles. Findings may be used to improve strategies for the recruitment and retention of minority females in U.S. law enforcement