“Lie Detectors Called Useless in Spy Hunt: Scientists Blast Security Screenings”

Dan Stober reports for the San Jose Mercury News. Excerpt: Lie-detector tests are useless in ferreting out spies and they have unfairly tainted innocent employees and job applicants, the nation’s leading researchers concluded in a report issued Tuesday. Prompted by the controversial case of Wen Ho Lee, who was accused of spying for China, the … Read more

“Can Polygraphs Detect Spies? Panel Says No, and Worries About Blemishing the Innocent”

Washington Post staff writer Shankar Vedantam reports. Excerpt: Polygraph tests are ineffective in catching spies and have probably tarred thousands of innocent government employees and applicants with unwarranted suspicion, a top scientific panel has concluded. While lie detectors may have some utility in criminal investigations, where subjects can be tested on specific questions about a … Read more

“Lie-Detector Tests Found Too Flawed to Discover Spies”

William J. Broad reports for the New York Times. Excerpt: In a report to the government, a panel of leading scientists said yesterday that polygraph testing was too flawed to use for security screening. The panel said lie-detector tests did a poor job of identifying spies or other national-security risks and were likely to produce … Read more

Tennesean Sponsors Polygraph “Test” of Man Who Accused Priest of Sexual Abuse

Tennessean staff writer Laura Frank reports on allegations of sexual abuse brought by John Kline, a former student, against ex-priest Ron Dickman, a former Catholic school principal, in an article titled, “Ex-Ryan principal accused of molesting students; ex-priest Ron Dickman denies allegations.” In a sensationalistic stunt, the newspaper paid for a polygraph “test” for Mr. … Read more

“Details on Polygraphs of Kline, Dickman”

Tennesean staff writer Laura Frank reports. Excerpt: Last month, John Kline sat down in a chair at the Marriott Residence Inn in Brentwood with tubes and wires attaching his body to a polygraph machine. Consultant Kendall W. Shull, whose previous job was overseeing the Federal Bureau of Investigation polygraph unit at FBI headquarters in Washington, … Read more

Wrongfully Convicted Man Who Failed Polygraph Wins Declaration of Innocence

Phil Trexler of the Beacon Journal reports on the exoneration of Jimmy “Spunk” Willams, who was wrongfully convicted of raping a child, in an article titled “A wrong is officially righted.” Williams was convicted in part on the basis of his having failed a polygraph “test.” Excerpt: Further harming Williams’ case was an agreement between … Read more

“Police Chief Defends Levy Case”

Washington Times staff writer Matthew Cella reports. Excerpt: Metropolitan Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey defended yesterday the results of a polygraph test administered to a man in prison for attacking two women in the same park where former government intern Chandra Levy’s remains were found, but he said police would like to ask the man … Read more

Polygraph at Issue in Chandra Levy Murder Investigation

Washington Post staff writers Sari Horwitz and Allan Lengel report in an article titled, “Levy Probe Concentrates On Rock Creek Attacker.” Excerpt: Detectives in the Chandra Levy murder case are focusing on a man convicted of assaulting two women jogging in Rock Creek Park last year — a suspect who was initially discounted after he … Read more

Polygraph Dragnet in Franklin County, IL

Jim Muir reports for The Southern Illinoisan in an article titled, “Franklin Sheriff Says One Person Had Access to Pot Storage” Excerpt: BENTON — As the investigation into the disappearance of 5-10 pounds of marijuana from a secure county storage facility enters its third week, Franklin County Sheriff Bill Wilson said only one person from … Read more