Being a Blue Blood: A Phenomenological Study on the Lived Experiences of Police Officers' Children. (June 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Helfers, Richard C.; Reynolds, Paul D.; Scott, David M.
• Is Part Of: Police quarterly. Volume 24:Number 2(2021)
• Page Start: 233
• Page End: 261
• Publication Date: 2021-06
• Subjects: children of police officers -- police families -- post-Ferguson policing -- community hostility; Police -- Periodicals; Law enforcement -- Periodicals; Police -- Périodiques; Lois -- Application -- Périodiques; 363.2
• DOI: 10.1177/1098611120964954
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1098-6111

Abstract

There has been speculation by researchers regarding the potential fears, concerns, and difficulties experienced by children of police officers, such as fears about their parent being injured or killed while on duty, ridicule and bullying, or being personally assaulted. More disheartening are the increased potential stressors facing police officers' children due to increased community hostility across the country over the last few years, particularly among the African American community, stemming from a series of police involved shootings of unarmed African American males. Yet, there remains scant research that has examined the lived experiences of police officers' children. To address this gap in the policing literature, this study used semi-structured interviews of police officers children in a southern state using a phenomenological methodology to explore the lived experiences of being a child of a police officer. Findings and policy recommendations are discussed.