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Who are Law Enforcement Chief Executives? An Examination of Current Police Chiefs in Texas
Richard Savage, PhD Student, Tarleton State University;
Christopher Copeland, D.Sc., Tarleton State University, corresponding author
Alex del Carmen, Ph.D., Tarleton State University
This paper focuses on generational differences of law enforcement chief executives within the state of Texas. The survey presented law enforcement chief executives within the state of Texas with questions that explored their attraction to law enforcement, experience and education, mentorship, promotion preparation and demographical information. Authors identified developmental characteristics of individuals within the Baby Boomer and Generation X law enforcement chief executives. There has been some research on the process of searching and hiring a law enforcement chief executive but little research into the type of individual who accepts this role. The discussion provides insight for future law enforcement chief executive searches and provides current insight on the type of personnel they may develop as a future leader within their agency.
Keywords: police chiefs, law enforcement executive, leadership, generational differences.