Dr Heather Panter
School of Justice Studies
Faculty of Arts Professional and Social Studies
Email: H.A.Panter@ljmu.ac.uk
Telephone: 0151 231 3879
Dr. Heather Panter is a retired American police detective with 13+ years of law enforcement experience with local and federal police agencies. She has a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (USA). She also has a Master of Science (M.S.) in Criminal Justice with a Concentration in Forensic Science from Saint Leo University (USA). In 2016, she earned her PhD in Criminology from Cardiff University (UK).
As an academic, her previous research involved the comparative cross-examination of policing within the United States and the United Kingdom in respect to officers’ cognitive and social perceptions of LGBT+ identities. This research focused on biases, gender theories, psychological conflict theories, intersectionality, subconscious bias, and the issues surrounding social acceptance of those in stigmatised minority groups within policing. This research was published in her first book titled 'Transgender Cops: The Intersection of Gender and Sexuality Expectations in Police Cultures'.
Currently, she is examining trends and stigmas in LGBT+ homicides with how victims are depicted. A portion of this research has been published in her recent edited book 'Transgender People and Criminal Justice: An Examination of Issues in Victimology, Policing, Sentencing, and Prisons'.
Her on-going broad research interests focus on:
1. LGBT+ Victimology- Investigating the prevalence, nature, and role that stigmas and bias has in LGBT+ homicides and genocides.
2. Investigative Science and Implementing Technology in Crime Scenes- Enhancing techniques for crime scene investigation which improve accuracy, efficiency, and safety of those working in high-risk forensic environments.
3. Death Studies- Examining the social and procedural aspects of working in death professions (e.g. police, forensic anthropologists, coroners, medical examiners, etc.) and how they manage psychological attachment/ detachment to human remains in different states of decomposition.
As a senior lecturer, she is the programme leader of LJMU's MSc Policing and Criminal Investigations and the module leader on the following graduate modules: "Advanced Investigative Skills", "Forensic and Medicolegal Death Investigations", and "Drugs: Recognition and Identification". She created and oversees LJMU's policing studies crime scene science area where students and staff have a multidisciplinary learning space to conduct "mock" crime scene exercises/ research studies.
She currently supervises PhD projects within criminology, policing studies, forensic science, engineering, and computer science. She is also interested in future PhD supervision/ external examination on the following broad interdisciplinary topic areas: forensic analysis and investigative practice in LGBT+ homicides; technology integration in detecting clandestine graves; safety issues in handling human remains; improving forensic practice through new documentation techniques; and the use of technology to improve post-mortem body recoveries.
Degrees
2016, Cardiff University, United Kingdom, Doctor of Philosophy in Criminology (PhD)
2011, Saint Leo University, United States, Master of Science in Criminal Justice with a Concentration in Forensic Science (M.S.)
2000, University of Tennessee, United States, Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice (B.S.)
Academic appointments
External Examiner (UG/ PG Criminal Investigation courses), Canterbury Centre for Policing Research, Canterbury Christ Church University, 2024 - present
Programme Leader (MSc in Policing and Criminal Investigations), Liverpool Centre for Advanced Policing Studies, Liverpool John Moores University, 2016 - present
Programme Leader (BSc in Policing and Forensics), Liverpool Centre for Advanced Policing Studies, Liverpool John Moores University, 2016 - 2019
Highlighted publications
Panter H. 2023. US Transgender Homicides (2013-2020): Exploring Homicide Characteristics and Police Disclosure During Criminal Investigations Panter H, Dwyer A. Transgender People and Criminal Justice An Examining Issues in Victimology, Policing, Sentencing, and Prisons Palgrave Macmillan 978-3-031-29892-9 DOI Publisher Url
Panter HA. 2018. Transgender Cops: The Intersection of Gender and Sexuality Expectations in Police Cultures Routledge. Oxfordshire 9781138223875 DOI Publisher Url
Chapters
Dwyer A, Rouse L, Panter H. 2024. Transgressing the Binaries: The Experiences of Non-binary and Genderqueer Police Officers Colvin R, Dwyer A, Giwa S. Q Policing: LGBTQ+ Experiences, Perspectives, and Passions Southern Illinois University Press. Carbondale, IL 978-0-8093-3956-3 Publisher Url
Panter H. 2024. Transitioning in Uniform: Identity and Conflict within Policing Colvin R, Dwyer A, Giwa S. Q Policing LGBTQ+ Experiences, Perspectives, and Passions Southern Illinois University Press. Carbondale, IL 9780809339563 Publisher Url
Dwyer A, Panter H. 2023. Framework for Viewing Transgender Victimological Experiences in Global Criminal Processing Systems Panter H, Dwyer A. Transgender People and Criminal Justice: An Examining Issues in Victimology, Policing, Sentencing, and Prisons Palgrave Macmillan 978-3-031-29892-9 DOI Publisher Url
Panter H. 2023. US Transgender Homicides (2013-2020): Exploring Homicide Characteristics and Police Disclosure During Criminal Investigations Panter H, Dwyer A. Transgender People and Criminal Justice An Examining Issues in Victimology, Policing, Sentencing, and Prisons Palgrave Macmillan 978-3-031-29892-9 DOI Publisher Url
Panter HA. 2020. LGBT+ Genocide: Understanding Hetero-Nationalism and the Politics of Psychological Silence Eski Y. Genocide & Victimology Routledge 9781138311718 Publisher Url
Panter H. 2019. First Responders: Police Shapiro L, Maras M-H. Encyclopedia of Security and Emergency Management Springer 978-3-319-69891-5 DOI Publisher Url
Panter HA. 2019. Investigations: Burglary Shapiro L, Maras M-H. Encyclopedia of Security and Emergency Management Springer 978-3-319-69891-5 DOI Publisher Url
Panter H. 2019. Airport Security: Incidents That Changed Procedures Encyclopedia of Security and Emergency Management :1-9 Springer International Publishing 9783319698915 DOI Publisher Url
Panter HA. 2018. Airport Security: Procedures in Secured Areas for TSA and private security Shapiro L, Maras M-H. Encyclopedia of Security and Emergency Management Springer 978-3-319-69891-5 DOI Publisher Url
Panter HA. First Responders Shapiro L, Maras M-H. Encyclopedia of Security and Emergency Management Springer Publisher Url
Report
Cox C, Panter HA, James A, Boulton L, Hagan R, Craven J, Silverstone DM. 2023. Diversity and inclusion within police firearms teams Diversity and inclusion within police firearms teams Public Url
Books (edited)
2023. Transgender People and Criminal Justice: An Examining Issues in Victimology, Policing, Sentencing, and Prisons Panter H, Dwyer A. XIII Palgrave Macmillan 978-3-031-29892-9 Publisher Url
Journal article
Holmes J, Boulton L, Panter HA. 2021. Understanding the role of uncertainty and anxiety in police decision-making during the investigation of sudden unexpected deaths in children Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, 19 :58-72 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Panter HA. 2017. Pre-Operative Transgender Motivations for Entering Policing Occupations International Journal of Transgender Health, 18 :305-317 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Panter HA. 2013. Backscatter Imaging and Counterterrorism: An Analysis of Legal and Privacy Issues NSU International Journal of Criminal Justice, VIII :8-14 Publisher Url
Parrott E, Panter H, Morrissey J, Bezombes F. A Low Cost Approach to Disturbed Soil Detection Using Low Altitude Digital Imagery from an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Drones, 3 :50-50 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Books (authored)
Panter HA. 2018. Transgender Cops: The Intersection of Gender and Sexuality Expectations in Police Cultures Routledge. Oxfordshire 9781138223875 DOI Publisher Url
Book review
Panter HA. 2012. Defining terrorism and counterterrorism methods Crime, Law and Social Change: an interdisciplinary journal, 58 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Panter HA. 2012. The Psychology of Eyewitness Identification The Psychologist, 25 :694-695 Publisher Url
Panter HA. 2012. The monster evil: policing and violence in Victorian Liverpool Policing and Society: An International Journal of Research and Policy, 23 :281-282 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Panter HA. 2012. Jihad in Saudi Arabia: Violence and Pan-Islamism since 1979 Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression, 1 :63-66 DOI Publisher Url
Public engagement:
Public talk or lecture, Fiction Authors/ True-Crime Authors, Invited Speaker, Smithdown Litfest, Liverpool Arts Bar, Crime Fiction Writing Seminar, A seminar from LJMU academics which explores policing, crime scenes, common crime fiction tropes and styles, and how to enhance crime writing., https://smithdownlitfest.com/crime-fiction-writing-seminar-with-expert-advice/. 2024
Public talk or lecture, Play Attendees, Invited Speaker, Everyman Playhouse, Identity, gender & the trans* community- "The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning" Post Show Discussion, https://www.everymanplayhouse.com/whats-more/2016/10/20/identity-gender-the-trans-community. 2016
Conference presentation:
Transgender Police Negotiating Police Culture: UK and US Occupational Issues, 16th Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology, Munster, Germany, Oral presentation. 2016
Media Coverage:
Panter, H. (2016). I was a white police officer in the US – I know how deep the crisis of racism is. The Conversation. [online] Available at: https://theconversation.com/i-was-a-white-police-officer-in-the-us-i-know-how-deep-the-crisis-of-racism-is-62377.
Panter, H. (2016). You’re rarely safe being LGBT+ in the American South – even from the police. The Conversation. [online] Available at: https://theconversation.com/youre-rarely-safe-being-lgbt-in-the-american-south-even-from-the-police-61032.
Council of Europe (Deep Dive Interview)
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: Transgender Police and Work Rights
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