A phenomenological examination of peace officers' experience in the aftermath of the use of deadly force

This dissertation is a phenomenological study presented in a three-article format. The dissertation is a phenomenological exploration of the lived experiences of peace officers following the use of deadly force. This is a qualitative study with quantitative data integrated for the purposes of providing additional perspective as well as a transparent means for the reader to check the author's description of the textual data. Quantitative data is included in the respective results sections. The first article is entitled "A Phenomenological Examination of Internal Factors Influencing Peace Officers' Lived Experience Following the Use of Deadly Force." This manuscript is part one of a two-part qualitative examination of peace officers' lived experience in the aftermath of deadly force incidents. The focus of the first manuscript are the individual factors affecting the process of resiliency. Article two is entitled "A Phenomenological Examination of Ecological Factors Influencing Peace Officers' Lived Experience Following the Use of Deadly Force." This manuscript is part two of a two-part qualitative examination of individual peace officers' experience in the aftermath of deadly force incidents. This article utilizes the same data set and methods as the first article. Themes pertaining to external factors affecting the process of resiliency are described. Article three is entitled "Supporting Resilient Reintegration Following the Use of Deadly Force: Research Implications for Law Enforcement Agencies." This manuscript is written as an editorial presenting recommendations for law enforcement agency policy and practice that support peace officer resilience during the process of investigating use of deadly force incidents.