Based on patterns he heard in the tapes, Harpster said he was able to identify certain indicators that correlated with guilt and others with innocence. For instance, Huh? in response to a dispatchers question is an indicator of guilt in Harpsters system. So is an isolated please. He identified 20 such indicators and then counted how often they appeared in his sample of guilty calls. ... A sheriffs sergeant in Colorado also read the FBI bulletin and, weeks later, asked Adams to analyze a 911 tape from a widow suspected of killing her husband. She and Harpster wrote a report of their findings.
The widow said the word blood, for example, and thats a guilty indicator. (Bleeding, however, is not.) She said somebody at different points, which shows a lack of commitment. Witnesses to a crime scene should be able to report their observations clearly, Harpster and Adams wrote. She was inappropriately polite because she said Im sorry and thank you. She interrupted herself, which wastes valuable time and may add confusion. She tried to divert attention by saying, God, who would do this?" Harpster and Adams commented: This is a curious and unexpected question .