Brian Kalish reports for GovernmentExecutive.com on the House of Representatives’ unanimous passage of the Anti-Border Corruption Act of 2010 (PDF) mandating that within two years, “all applicants for law enforcement positions with U.S. Customs and Border Protection receive polygraph examinations before being hired for such a position.”
Currently, only 15% of CBP applicants are polygraphed, with a reported failure rate of 60%. However, a reader comment on GovernmentExecutive.com suggests a significantly higher failure rate (emphasis added):
CBP needs to be more proactive in our search for the most qualified and upstanding candidates for employment to these sensitive positions. Our agency needs the very best citizens to serve the public in protecting our country from illegal entries of persons, goods and transports.
Only 1 in 341 applicants for Border Patrol Agent passed the polygraph test during our last recruitment. That is a very sad commentary, and bears a very poor reflection on our society in general.
AntiPolygraph.org cannot confirm the accuracy of this claim, and we welcome confirmation or disconfirmation from those with knowledge of the facts. Contact information is available here, and anonymous contact is also welcomed.
It is not clear whether periodic polygraph screening might eventually become a requirement for existing CBP employees. While the law does not mandate it, neither does it prohibit it.
I hear that there is a movement to have the polygraph declared unconstitutional. How can I be part of it?
[…] precedent of Congress mandating polygraph screening is the Anti-Border Corruption Act of 2010, which requires that “all applicants for law enforcement positions with U.S. Customs and […]