Leana Bouffard

Articles by: Leana Bouffard

Five reasons police officers should have college degrees

15th July 2020

Leana Bouffard - Professor and Chair, Dept of Sociology, Iowa State University

ANALYSIS: Recent events in the United States have led to calls for more training and credentialing to reduce the use of excessive force by police. Dr. Leana Bouffard of Iowa State University and Dr. Gaylene Armstrong of the University of Nebraska provide five reasons why police officers should be encouraged to pursue a college degree so they are better equipped to lead much-needed reform.

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Leana Bouffard
Professor and Chair, Department of Sociology, Iowa State University
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Dr. Leana Bouffard joined the Department of Sociology as Professor and Chair in July of 2017. She was previously on the faculty at Sam Houston State University, Washington State University, North Dakota State University, and Indiana University. In her most recent position at Sam Houston State University, Dr. Bouffard also served as the Director of the Crime Victims’ Institute. Her research interests include life course and developmental approaches to understanding offending, including the impact of various life events (e.g., military service and parenting/parenthood) on offending patterns. She also conducts research on violence against women, police response in domestic violence and sexual assault, and sexual aggression among college students. Dr. Bouffard was identified as an “academic star” in 2007 in a study of publication trajectories of recent female criminology and criminal justice Ph.D.’s. She received her Ph.D. (2001) and M.A. (1998) in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland. She also has a B.S. in Psychology (1995) from Duke University.