confused wrote on Feb 21
st, 2003 at 6:41pm:
Fair chance,
Would you answer a question? When you took your third test, did you lie? Also, whether you lied or not, did you use counter measures?
Dear Confused,
I have never falsified or omitted anything pertaining to any application I have made for federal service. The government has had and continues to have huge amount of private information concerning my life. This is the choice I made years ago. I did not willingly lie or knowingly lie about any questions posed to me. I was unaware of this website during my first two polygraph sessions and I informed my third polygraph examiner that I have done significant research into polygraph examination with an explicit reference to the National Acadamy of Science Report about Polygraph usage in DOE screening applications.
I believe that my first polygraph was inconclusive because I was not responsive enough to what I now know were control questions. I had been completely honest and had no problems in truthfully stating that I obey all traffic laws, I have not used my federal law enforcement status to gain any special favors and I do not drink and drive. I guess they needed me to feel guilty about those statments and feel emotional turmoil to "pass" me. I had no fear in answering any questions.
The second polygraph examiner started to attack and grill me almost as soon as I sat down for the pre-test interview. My pre-test interview was almost non-existent and I was attacked for using breathing countermeasures on the first strip. This confirms my feelings that examiners do not have a sure fire way of detecting breathing countermeasures because I had no knowledge of any countermeasures at that point. It was my normal breathing. I have detailed the rest of that exam in previous post.
I believe that my last examiner spent much more time trying to develope questions that I would have a hard time answering without doubt or reflection. I did not use any countermeasures and answered the questions with almost an identical response to my first test. For whatever reason, I passed this time.
My answers and feelings were all the same during all three test and that is why I have agreed with Marty that the pre-screeing polygraph test is a roll of the dice crapshoot.
The damage to the Nation occurs when applicants are falsely accused and their federal careers executed strictly on polygraph results alone. Rarely do many applicants get a second, let alone a third polygraph.
One glaring fault in this whole system is no videotaping of the process to assure that the examiner through body language, voice inflections, and methods of questioning skews the results. The review gurus in Washington, D.C., only review the recording tapes. There is no quality control. The videotape would also demonstrate if the examiner is using the same overall technique or deviating according to his/her personal bias.
You want improvement, immediately start videotaping all polygraph exams, make copies of the exam and polygraph strips made immediately to the examinee on request, and have peer review of random examinations to make sure that personal bias is not introduced.
All of the above does not change the fact that without fear and confessions, polygraphs are useless. There is a lot of money being spent without documented results (concerning deceptive polygraphs without confessions and background checks).
My results would have been the same if polygraph did not exist. My application is proceding. If a person has drug or alcohol problems, they are in denial for many years and a polygraph is no sure fire way to make them "fess-up". Any reasonable background check will find it. Our country's future is worth it.
Regards
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