Season 1 Episode 28: “I Have Something I Want to Talk to You About”: A Conversation with Dr. Leanor Boulin Johnson
About This Episode
The first police spouse that Dr. Leanor Boulin Johnson interviewed for her research came into the office, sat down, and said, “I have something I want to talk to you about, and I really don’t care what you want to talk to me about. I’m going to tell you what I want you to know about my stress.” She went on to tell Dr. Johnson and her colleague about how her police officer husband was beating her. More stories of police officer–perpetrated domestic violence were uncovered as the research continued. With each disclosure, Dr. Johnson was thrown deeper and deeper into the hidden world of officer-involved domestic violence (OIDV).
Over more than 30 years, Dr. Johnson has done multiple studies and even testified to the United States Congress about officer-involved domestic violence. Dr. Johnson, a professor emeritus at Arizona State University, didn’t set out to research officer-involved domestic violence. As a professor in African American and Family Studies, she was looking to research women’s roles in the workplace. After running into roadblock after roadblock, she landed on studying police officers’ stress including their families.
In this conversation with David and Ruth, Dr. Johnson shares her insights and observations related to OIDV including her concerns for the health of police families, lack of support for police officers, and the connections between OIDV and police brutality. During this interview Dr. Johnson talks about:
The connection between “authoritarian spillover,” OIDV, and police brutality
The gender and race differences in her research
How police officers’ need for support and connection is central to addressing OIDV and excessive force problems
For those interested in learning more about her research, you can email her directly at drlbj@yahoo.com. To read more about her research, you can read Alex Roslin’s book Police Wife.
Additional Resources
Listen to other episodes in the OIDV series:
Safe & Together Institute’s domestic abuse–informed trainings
Safe & Together Institute’s upcoming events
David Mandel’s book Stop Blaming Mothers and Ignoring Fathers: How to Transform the Way We Keep Children Safe from Domestic Violence