Original reporting and commentary about polygraphs, voice stress analyzers, and other purported "lie detectors."
Ryan Goudelocke reports for The Advocate of Baton Rouge, Louisana. Excerpt: They’re called “lie detectors” for a reason: For decades polygraph operators have claimed the ability to sniff out deception by asking searching questions and watching squiggly lines drawn on paper. And it’s a staple of crime fiction: Usually there’s a harshly lit room where …
Jennifer Muir and Emma Perez-Treviño report for the Brownsville, Texas Herald in an article titled, “Sheriff holds off on staff changes.” Excerpt: Administrative debates temporarily staved off Sheriff Conrado Cantu’s plan to restructure a troubled county jail staff Monday, but Cameron County’s top lawman said his department will continue considering options this week as his …
Associated Press writer Devlin Barrett reports in an article titled, “Wrongly Jailed Student Sues Agent, Hotel Over 9/11 Aviation Radio Probe.” Excerpt: NEW YORK — An Egyptian student wrongly jailed for a month as a suspect in the Sept. 11 attacks filed a $20 million lawsuit Thursday against the FBI agent who extracted his false …
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 …
Los Angeles Times staff writer John J. Goldman reports. Excerpt: NEW YORK — The Justice Department has uncovered no evidence to corroborate an Egyptian student’s allegations that an FBI polygraph examiner coerced him into confessing that he owned an aviation radio found near the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, according to a report released …
CNN’s Phil Hirschkorn and Deborah Feyerick report. Excerpt: NEW YORK (CNN) — A report unsealed by a federal judge Monday found no support for accusations that the FBI coerced a confession from an Egyptian exchange student who was detained last year in connection with the September 11 terrorist attacks. During a December 27 FBI lie …
Tamara Race reports for the Patriot Ledger of Quincy, Massachusetts. Excerpt: A clerk magistrate will rule early next week whether Plymouth Police Chief Robert Pomeroy and Town Manager Eleanor Beth should face criminal charges for forcing a police officer to take a lie-detector test or lose his job. If convicted, the two would face a …
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 …
Political correspondent Brendan Nicolson reports for The Age. Excerpt: Lie detector tests being carried out on officers of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation were not scientifically proven, and could be beaten by real spies and incriminate innocent officers, the Federal Opposition has warned. Labor’s justice spokesman Daryl Melham told The Sunday Age that the polygraph, …
Dawn Walton reports for the Globe and Mail. This short article is cited here in full: CALGARY — Calgary firefighter recruits will be put through the paces their crime-fighting counterparts have been subjected to for years — polygraph tests. Polygraph machines, popularly known as lie detectors, are used when recruits are being interviewed by fire …