Analyzing 911 Homicide Calls

Practical Aspects and Applications

Tracy Harpster, Susan H. Adams

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781315386485
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Law
• Subtopic: Criminal Law
• Index: Law

This book provides police investigators and homicide detectives with a practical method of analyzing 911 homicide calls to uncover the truth. A structured analysis of 911 homicide calls can directly aid in developing investigative leads, planning interviews and solving cases. Case examples present proven, reliable methods as to when a caller is telling the truth or not. This book lays out a framework to analyze the call to determine truth from fiction. Every member of the investigative team, from call-taker to first responder, investigator, coroner's investigators, and prosecutor, can contribute to the success of investigations through their knowledge of 911 call analysis.

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Contents

1. Editor’s Note
2. Forewords
3. Authors’ Note
4. Acknowledgments
5. Section I
   INTRODUCTION
6. 1 The Critical Value of 911 Call Analysis
7. The 911 Study
8. 2 Case Study: Mr. and Mrs. Hunt
9. What If?
10. Section II
    WHO IS THE CALL ABOUT?
11. 3 Does the Caller Demand Help?
12. 4 Does the Caller Provide an Immediate Assessment of the Victim?
13. 5 Who Is the Caller’s Focus?
14. 6 Does the Caller Accept the Victim’s Death?
15. 7 Does the Caller Provide Aid to the Victim as Directed?
16. Section III
    WHAT IS THE CALL ABOUT?
17. 8 Is the Information Relevant?
18. 9 How Does the Caller Describe the Situation?
19. 10 How Does the Caller Prioritize the Information?
20. 11 How Does the Caller Describe the Conditions?
21. Section IV
    HOW IS THE CALL MADE?
22. 12 Does the Caller Express Urgency or No Urgency?
23. 13 Is the Caller Fearful?
24. 14 Is the Caller in Close Proximity to the Victim?
25. 15 Does the Caller Begin with Initial Sounds or with Initial Delays?
26. 16 Does the Caller Use Aggressive Demands or Passive Defenses?
27. Defendant Mentality
28. Ingratiating Remarks
29. Insults or Blames Victim
30. Minimizes
31. Mental Miscues
32. Freudian Slips
33. Non Sequiturs
34. 17 Does the Caller Show Cooperation with Dispatcher or Resistance to Dispatcher?
35. Cooperation with Dispatcher
36. Resistance to Dispatcher
37. Dispatcher Confusion
38. Diversion
39. Equivocation
40. Evasion
41. Hangs Up
42. Only Answers What’s Asked
43. Pauses
44. Repetition
45. Self-Interruption
46. Short Answers
47. Unintelligible Comments
48. Section V
    INDEPENDENT GUILTY INDICATORS
49. 18 Attempts to Convince
50. 19 Awkward Phrases
51. 20 Conflicting Facts
52. 21 “Huh?” Factor
53. 22 “I Don’t Know”
54. 23 Isolated “Please”
55. 24 Lack of Contractions
56. 25 No Modulation
57. 26 Unexplained Knowledge
58. Section VI
    TRENDING INDICATORS
59. 27 Indicators Trending Toward Guilty
60. Apology to Victim
61. Asking Permission
62. Calling Another
63. Dispatcher as Witness
64. Eyes Comments
65. Nervous Laughter
66. Possession of a Problem
67. Recounting Dialogue
68. Section VII
    PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
69. 28 Does the Call Match the Scene?
70. 29 Create a Timeline: Murder Does Not Happen in a Vacuum
71. Section VIII
    911 ANALYSIS TIPS FOR THE LAW ENFORCEMENT TEAM
72. 30 911 Analysis Tips for the Law Enforcement Team: Dispatchers
73. 31 911 Analysis Tips for the Law Enforcement Team: Patrol Officers
74. 32 911 Analysis Tips for the Law Enforcement Team: Investigators
75. 33 911 Analysis Tips for the Law Enforcement Team: Prosecutors
76. Section IX
    CASE STUDIES
77. 34 Case Studies
78. Epilogue
79. Appendix A: Case Study Analyses
80. Appendix B: Glossary of Terms
81. Index
82. About the Authors

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Editor’s Note

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This textbook is part of a series titled “Practical Aspects of Criminal and Forensic Investigation.” This series was created by Vernon J. Geberth, a retired New York City Police Department lieutenant commander who is an author, educator, and consultant on homicide and forensic investigations.

This series has been designed to provide contemporary, comprehensive, and pragmatic information to the practitioner involved in criminal and forensic investigations by authors who are nationally recognized experts in their respective fields.

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Forewords

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Most homicide investigations begin with the same question, “911, what is your emergency?” What is said in the next few moments can have a profound impact on the course of the investigation. Could the person calling 911 actually be the killer you’re looking for?

I first learned about the work of Deputy Chief Harpster and Dr. Adams while attending a course for homicide investigators. The instructor mentioned hearing about research that had been published on analyzing unique aspects of 911 calls. At the conclusion of the course, I immediately located and read the published work. I contacted the authors because I had an unresolved homicide with a 911 call made by the victim’s wife. I sent the authors a recording and transcript of the 911 call with no other details of the case. They walked me through the call, pointing out critical clues that I had missed.

I’ve since learned about the indicators of guilt and innocence that exist within 911 calls. I’ve learned that innocent 911 callers convey information, while guilty callers may try to convince the dispatcher of their “story.” Now when I’m called out for a homicide, I listen to the 911 call on the way to the scene before conducting any interviews.

If you are a homicide investigator reading this book, I can assure you that from now on you will analyze every 911 call reporting a death.

As for my unresolved case, the wife who called 911 has since been convicted of the very homicide she reported. She is serving life in prison.

Detective M. H.
Florida

I was called out to investigate a homicide death of a victim who had been repeatedly stabbed. I arrived at the victim’s residence and met with the street officers who were questioning a male suspect. The suspect denied involvement in the crime; however, I was highly suspicious of him due to the fact that he had blood on his clothing, face, and hands and was in possession of a bloody knife. I noted that he had attempted to clean himself after he called 911 to report the crime, and he had attempted to hide his bloody clothes in his pickup truck. A quick background check revealed an extensive criminal history for meth distribution, and we immediately began to focus our investigation on this individual.

The suspect was transported to the police department for a formal interview while the crime scene was processed. Having attended Deputy Chief Harpster and Dr. Adams’ 911 Homicide Analys...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Table of Contents