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. 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. A portion of this research was published in her first book titled 'Transgender Cops: The Intersection of Gender and Sexuality Expectations in Police Cultures'.
Her general research interests include LGBT+ criminology, stigmas within policing, investigative science and crime scene processing, improving occupational safety of forensic science investigators/ police personnel, and death studies. Currently, her on-going research projects involve the following: antemortem injuries in LGBT+ homicides; post-mortem issues in LGBT+ homicides; stigmas and differential portrayal of homicide/ genocide victims; and psychological/ emotional attachments to human remains in different states of decomposition within coronial professions (e.g., coroners, pathologists, forensic anthropologists, forensic archaeologists, police, morticians, etc.).
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 from Cardiff University in Criminology.
She is a passionate teacher who draws upon her previous police experience to create an innovative pedagogic environment that enables students to both grasp and apply complex criminological/ investigative ideas. 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".
Currently, she is supervising PhD projects within policing studies, forensic science, and engineering. She is also interested in future PhD supervision/ external examination on the following broad topic areas: LGBT+ victimology; d/Deaf victimology; implementing technology to improve police occupational safety; eye-tracking and police training; technology usage in detecting clandestine graves; and the use of technology to improve post-mortem body recoveries.
She also serves as a consultant for police fictional novels, police television shows, and news agencies. Please feel free to contact her if you have any academic or media inquiries.
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
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. 2025. 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. 2025. 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
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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