
Deputy Chief Harpster received a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Bowling Green State University and is a graduate of the 216th Session of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy, Quantico, VA.In 2006, Deputy Chief Harpster achieved a Graduate Degree from the University of Cincinnati where his Master’s Thesis examined the indicators of innocence and guilt of 911 homicide callers reporting the offense. The study defined and analyzed the indicators in order to assist homicide detectives gain insight into the offense, suggest offender probability, and explore pertinent issues during the interview and interrogation phases of the investigation. Deputy Chief Harpster has shared his research at homicide conferences across the country including the National Homicide Conference (2006, 2008, 2012, and 2014) and the International Homicide Conference (2010) and has presented for the FBI and the RCMP. Deputy Chief Harpster has analyzed over one thousand 911 homicide calls and directly assisted on over 500 homicides by analyzing the call for the investigators. In 2013, Lt. Harpster was accepted as a member of the Vidocq Society, a crime-solving organization that meets monthly at the Union League of Philadelphia. Members of the Vidocq Society apply their collective forensic skills and Members of the Vidocq Society apply their collective forensic skills and experience to “cold case” homicides and unsolved deaths. V.S.M.’s donate their deductive and scientific talents for the common good.
Deputy Chief Harpster and Dr. Adams have co-authored an article titled “911 Homicide Calls: Is the Caller the Killer?” which has been published in the Law Enforcement Bulletin (June 2008), “Analyzing 911 Homicide Calls for Indicators of Guilt or Innocence: An Exploratory Analysis” published in Homicide Studies (February 2009) and “Is the Caller the Killer? Analyzing 911 Homicide Calls” (June, 2010) published in the book Truth, Lies and Deception. In 2016, Deputy Chief Harpster and Dr. Susan Adams co-authored the first book regarding the research, “Analyzing 911 Homicide Calls: Practical Aspects and Applications (CRC Press).












Joseph W. Osman
Joe has been married to Janna Osman, of Fairmont, NC, for 21 years. They have two sons: Will (18), a freshman at North Carolina State University, and Drew (15), a sophomore at Lumberton High School.