Original reporting and commentary about polygraphs, voice stress analyzers, and other purported "lie detectors."
Staff writer Steven Mayer of the Bakersfield Californian reports. Excerpt: When Escondido police questioned 14-year-old Michael Crowe in the days following the 1998 stabbing death of his 12-year-old sister, investigators used a Computer Voice Stress Analyzer during the interrogation. The analyzer — a lie detector of sorts used by an estimated 1,300 police agencies in …
Christina Lewis reports for Court TV. Excerpt: (Court TV) – Richard Allen Nicolas’ story seemed suspicious. An unknown gunman shot at his car, killing his 2-year-old daughter, Aja. Plus, police found that his muffler was cold, although Nicolas said he had been parked a short time. But police had little hard evidence against Nicolas until …
Washington Post staff writer Ariana Eunjung Cha reports. Excerpt: NEW YORK — “Lie detectors,” those controversial assessors of truth, are making their way into everyday life. Insurance companies use them to help catch people filing fraudulent claims. Suspicious spouses use handheld versions to judge whether their significant others are cheating. U.S. government interrogators use them …
Chery Sabol reports for the Daily Inter Lake of Kalispell, Montana uncritically reports on “Computerized Voice Stress Analysis” (CVSA). Excerpt: It sounds metaphysical. Without ever laying eyes on you, detective Lance Norman of the [Flathead County] sheriff’s department believes he can tell if you are lying. Spoken answers reveal to him ‹ directly, on the …
Associated Press writer Christopher Newton reports. Excerpt: WASHINGTON (AP) — The world is becoming a trickier place for people who tell lies — even little white ones. From thermal-imaging cameras, designed to read guilty eyes, to brain-wave scanners, which essentially watch a lie in motion, the technology of truth-seeking is leaping forward. At the same …
The Associated Press reports on Glynn County, Georgia’s use of and professed belief in “Computer Voice Stress Analysis” (CVSA). Excerpt: BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Glynn County police have become true believers in a new sort of lie detector that analyzes stress in a suspect’s voice, but other police departments are not convinced. The Computer Voice Stress …
Louise Dickson reports on the first use of Computerized Voice Stress Analysis (CVSA) by Canadian police in this puff piece published in the Victoria Times Colonist. Excerpt: “Did you actually see Ruth shoot Billy?” “Yes,” the suspect replied. “Did you shoot Billy?” “No.” But the image on the computer screen told another story. In this …
Mayumi Saito reports in this puff piece on Trustech Ltd.’s “Truster” software, which was published in The Japan Times. Excerpt: When Bill Clinton first said, “I never had sexual relations with that woman . . .” back in 1998, a report flushed that a new Israeli lie detector figured he was being truthful. Looking back …
Associated Press writer Michael Rubinkam reports on the pseudoscience of voice stress analysis. Excerpt: PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Police want to know if a suspect is lying, but the polygraph test comes back inconclusive. What’s an exasperated interrogator to do? Increasingly, law enforcement agencies are using a technology that measures “voice stress” — small frequency modulations …
Marsha Paxson gullibly reports on Computerized Voice Stress Analysis (CVSA) for the Lake Sun Leader of Camdenton, Missouri. Excerpt: MORGAN COUNTY – The same type of lie detection machine used to test former President Bill Clinton when he claimed not to have had sex with Monica Lewinksy is now being used in the arsenal against …