Many federal security and law enforcement officers visit this site.  Subjects often admit to having viewed this site in the first phase of a polygraph; it is a good idea for all security professionals to see what takes place on your site.

With repect to federal employment, I understand people may have reservations regarding polygraph examinations.  Obviously, the polygraph is a tool used in making a suitability/security determination as part of a background investigation (BI).  The purpose of the BI is to ensure that applicants for federal service are honest, have high integrity, and have made a full disclousure regarding past  "inapproriate" behavior.

The FBI and DEA only touch on three areas in their polygraphs.  Illegal use or sale of controlled substances, honesty in the application/security form (SF86), and couterintelligence.  Very rarely do individuals fail for the latter two.  Honesty on the application can be investigated and rarely would an applicant be labeled a spy.

Unfortunately, issues regarding past illegal drug use is often on a personal level; even the most thorough BI may not find sources who witnessed the subject of investigation use an illegal substance.  This is primarily where the polygraph comes into play.  Applicants, for whatever reason, often lie about past illegal drug use (Most of the time which would be mitigated due to age, recency of conduct, etc.).

I recently read an entry from an alleged Fed.  He mentioned praying for the applicant to tell the truth and stopping the polygraph.  His alleged behavior, while quite humorous (though perhaps not to the subject of the polygraph), is a scare tactic and part of a rather solid interrogation technique.  His technique, if used, often brings out a confession.  This is why the polygraph is so useful.  People crack and tell the truth.

The polygraph is fallible (often as accurate as flipping a coin ), countermeasures are often very successful for an applicant who makes no derog. admissions, polygraph exams are interrogations, and the countermeasures offered on this site are very much accurate.  These statements are factually based.  However, the truth is the most reliable means of passing a "polygraph interrogation."  Most people pass polygraphs and most people tell the truth.  Many people "fail" a polygraph even while being truthful.  A false positive is a bad thing, but so is the possibility of an individual with past undisclosed misdeeds working in a national security or public trust position.  In my opinion, it is a difficult decision to determine which of these wrongs is worse.

I think they touch on more than those three areas. They asked me about lying to or betraying the trust of a loved one, too. Also ask about cheating in high school and drinking habits.