Saipan Tribune staff reporter Edith G. Alejandro reports. Excerpt:
The Department of Public Safety yesterday disclosed that applicants for the new batch of the Police Academy will undergo polygraph test in January 2003 prior to the release of the names of those who will be accepted to the institution.
Police Commissioner Edward Camacho and officer-in-charge for training and development Charlene Tudela said the department would only accommodate the Top 20 candidates for 2003 School Resources Officer, a program funded by the federal government.
In a media briefing held Friday morning, the DPS mentioned that, besides the lie detector test, Police Academy applicants will also undergo drug test, a requirement for incoming academy students.
“We will get 16 applicants from Saipan, two from Rota, and two from Tinian. We have a lot of applicants but we will be getting only the Top 20 students,” explained Tudela.
The polygraph test will consist of a series of question that will determine the truthfulness of the applicant. How the students would fare in the lie detector test will be a major consideration in their entry to the federally funded program.
Tudela added that those who would pass the series of examinations will proceed with their seven-month, full-length training in the academy and a two-week training with the U.S. Department of Justice.