Reuters correspondent James Vicini reports. Excerpt: WASHINGTON (Reuters) – As many as seven FBI employees with access to highly classified information face more investigation after taking polygraph tests given to tighten security following the discovery of a Russian spy within the FBI, officials said on Wednesday. “We have identified up to 700 persons who were … Read more
Associated Press writer Ted Bridis reports. Excerpt: WASHINGTON – FBI Director Robert Mueller on Wednesday promised broader use of lie detectors and a closer check of employee financial records to help deter or catch spies within America’s elite law enforcement agency. Mueller acknowledged delicate issues of privacy and trust. But he said FBI employees must … Read more
Miami Herald Washington correspondent Tim Johnson reports. Excerpt: WASHINGTON – Even though confessed Cuban spy Ana Belen Montes already outwitted a lie-detector test, the government plans to rely on polygraph exams to check her honesty as they debrief her about her 16-year spying career while working for U.S. military intelligence. Montes took a polygraph examination … Read more
Laura Sullivan of the Baltimore Sun reports in an article titled, “FBI sets its bar high for aspiring agents.” Excerpt: Just to be considered, applicants must be U.S. citizens between ages 26 and 36, with at least three years of full-time work and a four–year college degree. Those who qualify undergo a series of written … Read more
The Associated Press reports on counterespionage measures adopted by the FBI in the wake of the Hanssen affair, including a discussion of the Bureau’s counterintelligence-scope polygraph program. Excerpt: Former CIA and FBI Director William Webster is wrapping up a massive review of the FBI’s internal security in the aftermath of the Robert Hanssen spy case. … Read more
Knight-Ridder Washington correspondent Tim Johnson reports in an article published in the Miami Herald on the guilty plea of DIA analyst Ana Belen Montes, who was recruited by Cuban intelligence even before she began her DIA career. Excerpt: WASHINGTON – A senior U.S. intelligence analyst, Ana Belen Montes, admitted in federal court on Tuesday that … Read more
Taipei Times staff reporter Brian Hsu reports in an article titled, “NSB plans oversight committee.” Excerpt: National Security Bureau (NSB) director Tsai Tsao-ming…yesterday said that the bureau has begun instituting plans for the formation of a legislative committee to oversee intelligence. Tsai said the plans were in line with recent legislative proposals to better monitor … Read more
Associated Press writer Jesse J. Holland reports in an article published in the Washington Post under the title, “Senators Call for FBI Oversight Legislation.” Excerpt: WASHINGTON – Two senators called for sweeping changes in the FBI Thursday, including mandated lie detector tests of people working with sensitive information, letting Justice Department investigators independently look at … Read more
Los Angeles Times staff writers Jill Leovy and Matea Gold, in an article titled “Parks Defends Record on Crime, Consent Decree,” mention that Police Chief Bernard C. Parks acknowledged a 50% pre-employment polygraph failure rate in a meeting with reporters on Friday, 8 Feb. Excerpt (emphasis added): On recruiting, Parks argued that factors outside his … Read more
Palm Beach Post staff writer Bill Douthat reports on alleged impropriety in the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. The allegations involve polygrapher Harold Thomas Sorensen, a member of the Florida Polygraph Association. Excerpt: A sheriff’s polygrapher who gave a lie detector test to the daughter of his boss failed to properly report her deceptive answers … Read more