Dr. Neil Harper

Biography

Dr. Neil Harper teaches courses related to criminal justice. His areas of interest include preparing current and future law enforcement officers to engage in the public square from a Christian worldview. Dr. Harper is passionate about developing future leaders and enjoys teaching courses on leadership, justice administration, law enforcement, criminal investigations, forensic science, and ethics in the criminal justice system.

With a background as a former deputy sheriff, police officer, investigator, military police officer, ATF Special Agent, and ministry leader, Dr. Harper brings real-world experiences to the classroom, enhancing students’ learning and understanding of the criminal justice system at all levels. He incorporates experiences and related case studies into class discussions and active learning assignments. Dr. Harper retired as an ATF Senior Special Agent in 2019 and a U.S. Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel in 2016. He and his wife have been married for over 30 years and reside in Cleveland, Tennessee.

After retiring from ATF, Dr. Harper served full-time in ministry as an Assistant Pastor for Educational Ministries and then as the President & CEO of Leadership Ministries Worldwide (LMW) in Chattanooga. Dr. Harper now serves as an assistant pastor at Westwood Baptist Church in Cleveland, Tennessee, where his wife serves as the Preschool Director. He also remains engaged with the Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers (FCPO), an organization he has been a member of for over 20 years.

Publications, Research, & Editing

• Harper, N. D. (2024). [Review of the book Healthy leadership for thriving organizations: Creating contexts where people flourish by J. A. Irving]. Journal of Religious Leadership, 23(2), 95-97.
• Harper, N. D. (2022). [Review of the book Confronting Injustice without compromising truth: 12 questions Christians should ask about social justice by T.J. Williams]. Christian Education Journal, 19(1),181–184.
• Harper, N. D. (2022). [Review of the book Lead Like it matters to God: Values driven Leadership in a success-driven world by Richard Stearns]. Christian Education Journal, 19(1), 199–201.
• Harper, N. D. (Forthcoming) [Review of the book Rooted leadership: Seeking God’s answers to the eleven core questions every leader faces] by J. E. Johnson]. The Journal of Applied Christian Leadership.
• In-progress journal article: Procedural justice in Christian perspective: Toward a model of ethical leadership for law enforcement. Pending submission to the Christian Education Journal.
• In-progress journal article: Role models for future police executives: Analyzing the leadership practices of criminal justice faculty. Pending submission to the American Criminal Justice Journal.

Conference & Workshop Presentations

• Harper, N. D. (2024, October 25-26)]. A theological analysis of procedural justice: Applying Trentham’s Inverse Consistency Protocol [Conference presentation]. Fall 2024 Carolinas Regional Convivium: Theological Insights for Criminal Law and Beyond—The Davenant Institute. Raleigh, NC. United States
• Harper, N. D. (2024, September 10-14). Teacher-leadership in higher education: A comparison of the leadership practices of criminal justice faculty [Conference presentation]. Southern Criminal Justice Association (SCJA) 2024 Conference. Greenville, SC, United States.
• Harper, N.D. (2024, July 28-29). Criminal justice scholar-practitioners: Role models in higher education [Conference presentation]. Academia Meets Practice (AMP) 2024 Online. University of South Florida. Tampa, FL, United States.
• Harper, N., Parker, J., & West, E. (2021, October 12). Policing in the pandemic: Faith and law enforcement [Panel discussion]. Criminal Justice Symposium. Lee University. Cleveland, TN. United States.
• Harper, N.D. (2020, February 29). Bomb threats and suspicious packages management and planning [Conference Presentation]. MAGEN 2020 Conference. Westwood Baptist Church, Cleveland, TN. United States.
• Harper, N.D. (2024, November 10). Bomb Threats and Suspicious Packages [Video]. Faith-Based Security Network.
• Harper, N.D. (2019, September 16-19). National Integrated Ballistic Information Network [Conference presentation]. Tennessee Association of Law Enforcement Analyst 2019 Annual Conference. Pigeon Forge, TN. United States.