{"id":4130,"date":"2004-01-17T15:00:55","date_gmt":"2004-01-17T20:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antipolygraph.org\/blog\/?p=4130"},"modified":"2021-03-20T07:36:10","modified_gmt":"2021-03-20T12:36:10","slug":"rule-on-marijuana-sparks-rift-for-police","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antipolygraph.org\/blog\/2004\/01\/17\/rule-on-marijuana-sparks-rift-for-police\/","title":{"rendered":"“Rule on Marijuana Sparks Rift for Police”"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\n\n

This article<\/a> by Albuquerque Tribune<\/em> correspondent Aubrey Hovey includes a discussion of the Albuquerque Police Department’s policy of polygraphing applicants in an attempt to ascertain their truthfulness with regard to past drug use. Excerpt: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A marijuana-induced “buzz” is floating around the Albuquerque Police Department.<\/p>

Past drug use by potential police recruits has caused a rift between Professional Standards Division Captain Ron Paiz and Jeff Remington, the police union president.<\/p>

Paiz proposed changing a policy which disqualifies police recruits if they have smoked marijuana in the last three years. He wants to reduce the number of years from three to two.<\/p>

Paiz, who proposed the change to APD Chief Gil Gallegos in October, called the old policy “outdated.” He said the department should mirror other law enforcement agencies around the state that accept recruits under the two-year policy.<\/p>

Gallegos is reviewing the proposal, Paiz said.<\/p>

Remington disagrees with the change, saying the new policy would lower the department’s standards. He said the only reason for the change would be to attract more recruits – the wrong kind.<\/p>

“Why lower the standards unless you’re trying to attract a group of people that you can’t recruit unless you lower the standards?” Remington said Friday.<\/p>

Paiz insists the department’s ongoing recruitment efforts have nothing to do with the proposal.<\/p>

“That’s not the intent of the policy change,” Paiz said. “The change is to come in line with the times.”<\/p>

However, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department, the New Mexico State Police Department and the Rio Rancho Department of Public Safety disqualify any applicant who has smoked marijuana within the last three years, department officials said.<\/p>

Paiz said the department’s policy 30 years ago said recruits who had ever smoked marijuana would be disqualified.<\/p>

When Paiz entered the department about 20 years ago, he said, the policy changed from ever smoking the drug to having smoked it within the past 18 months.<\/p>

That remained in effect for 12 years, he said, before a lieutenant’s efforts led to the policy now in place.<\/p>

Recruits are required to take a polygraph test while answering the question of how long it has been since they last smoked marijuana, Paiz said.<\/p>

A former Sandia National Laboratories scientist said using the polygraph to screen employees is a bad idea.<\/p>

Alan Zelicoff, a former senior scientist in the center for national security and arms control, said he has researched the polygraph and its purpose since 1995.<\/p>

“In the setting of screening a candidate for employment, the polygraph has no place,” said Zelicoff, now a private consultant.<\/p>

Zelicoff’s research, in conjunction with the National Academy of Sciences, shows polygraphs reject the testimony of those telling the truth instead of identifying liars.<\/p>

He said APD is making a mistake by using the test as a drug-screening tool.<\/p>

“They’re deceiving themselves,” he said. “If we had medical tests that had the same failure rate as a polygraph, then physicians that use those tests would be convicted of malpractice.”<\/p>

In discussions with Gallegos about the proposal, Remington said, union representatives will stress safety and upholding high standards.<\/p>

“We’re going to sit down and we’re going to talk about this, and . . . hopefully we’ll get the numbers up in the department,” Remington said. “Both sides want to see not only Albuquerque safer with more police patrolling, but you want to have officers taking dangerous calls with the proper back up that they need.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article by Albuquerque Tribune correspondent Aubrey Hovey includes a discussion of the Albuquerque Police Department’s policy of polygraphing applicants in an attempt to ascertain their truthfulness with regard to past drug use. Excerpt: A marijuana-induced “buzz” is floating around the Albuquerque Police Department. Past drug use by potential police recruits has caused a rift …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[501,327],"class_list":["post-4130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-polygraph","tag-albuquerque-police-department","tag-new-mexico","anons"],"yoast_head":"\n"Rule on Marijuana Sparks Rift for Police" - AntiPolygraph.org News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antipolygraph.org\/blog\/2004\/01\/17\/rule-on-marijuana-sparks-rift-for-police\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\""Rule on Marijuana Sparks Rift for Police" - AntiPolygraph.org News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This article by Albuquerque Tribune correspondent Aubrey Hovey includes a discussion of the Albuquerque Police Department’s policy of polygraphing applicants in an attempt to ascertain their truthfulness with regard to past drug use. 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