The Long Beach, California Press-Telegram reports that the city council has voted to spend $150,000 for polygraph services from Intercept, Inc., a Los Angeles-based company headed by celebrity polygrapher Ed Gelb, who fraudulently passes himself off as a Ph.D. Guests who appeared on Gelb’s television show, Lie Detector, have reported to AntiPolygraph.org that the “tests” he conducted lasted about 10 minutes from hello to goodbye, which is sub-standard even by the low standards of the polygraph community.
Polygraph tests
The City Council on Tuesday approved a $150,000 contract with Intercept Inc. to provide pre-employment polygraph tests for Police Department job candidates.
The contract is a one-year deal with an option for two one-year extensions.
The polygraph is part of the background investigation process for potential police employees. The polygraph machine, or “lie detector,” consists of several sensors that measure pulse, breathing rate and blood pressure.
“They ask questions related to drug use, conviction history, financial history… that kind of stuff,” Commander Greg Allison said.
The interview can take anywhere from two to four hours, depending on the applicant, he said.
“If they’re showing deception, it will take an additional interview,” Allison said.
I worked for Ed Gelb in 1979. At Intercept on Yucca. What a weird world illuminated.