I took my polygraph a while back for the police department.  Unfortunately, I didn't investigate this or any other polygraph site regarding what the testers ask, and spilled my guts about everything during my interview.

I've got a basically squeaky clean past, no drugs, no criminal convictions apart from a small brush a long time ago that the initial PD recruiters confirmed didn't matter.  However, when I did my polygraph, and the tester asked if I ever stole anything from an employer, I remembered that around 2 years ago, I'd been given a piece of property by my employer that I forgotten to give back after quitting (valued at around $100), and never returned.

This was noted on my testing results, and returned to the investigating PD's background people.  I've not heard anything from my background investigator in a few weeks now.  I'm concerned about 2 things:

1)  Will this admission (I was trying to be as honest as possible, which is why I volunteered it) disqualify me from the PD for being a dishonest person?

2)  The real thing bothering me...is there a chance that the PD will use this admission to contact said former employer, have them file charges, have me arrested,  and cause any chance for any law enforcement career to go up in smoke?

Feedback is appreciated.

Fred,

I admitted it before beginning the polygraph, during the "initial interview".  

During the test, when we came to the part about "employer theft", I was really jacked up from having admitted the aforementioned issue, so when the tester asked me "Are you lying about any other theft", my heart rate, breathing, and pressure skyrocketed.  It was due to stress from thinking 'Oh crap, they're gonna think I'm a horrible person!'.

He did the standard "why are you being deceptive; I'm gonna leave you alone for a while to think about it" stuff.  I didn't admit anything else because...well...there ISN'T anything else.

One thing, the BI called me a couple days later to ask me about this 'item' on my polygraph, and I told them the same reason....I had something that I forgot to return after quitting, and never got around to doing so.

Any additional advice?

Regarding your concerns about a criminal charge. The statute of limitations should be limited to two years for this crime, at least in my state. The value of the item will not make it a felony so I wouldn't worry about an arrest.

Unfortunately, I have disappointing news.  I received my rejection letter from the PD today.

Though it did not say why, I strongly believe that my rejection was due to the honest admission I made during the pre-polygraph interview.

What makes me sad and disillusioned is the fact that I've recently spoken to a couple of police officers (from other depts), who freely admitted they and/or their co-workers never admitted past non-verifiable indescretions far more serious than mine (such as heavy drug use, assaults, etc), before taking their polygraph screenings, and were hired with no problems.  It makes me wonder if the law enforcement profession really wants honest people, or just people who can give the IMAGE of being honest when necessary.

I guess I learned the hard way.  If it's not on paper, keep your mouth shut, and admit to nothing.

Thanks for everyone's advice.