It seems that I have stirred a hornet's nest of opinions on this subject. I will do my best to address them all.
Seeker,
Up until late last year, I did have an implicit trust of my government. As I stated before, there are certain things that you just have to take for granted, and for me, it was faith in the FBI that they would treat me fairly and with respect. I learned the hard way that they don't. Sure you can tell me that hindsight is 20/20, and that I'm the fool for not researching the polygraph prior to taking it. There are others on this site who held the same beliefs I did, and learned how terribly the FBI can burn you (Fair Chance, George, . . .). It is a horrible feeling to be betrayed so, and for George and I, to not only be betrayed but also accused of espionage, an act punishable by death in the federal courts. To be spun so violently by someone you trusted is a horrible feeling - something I wish on no one else.
I don't agree with your view on what makes a good law enforcement officer. I think you are confusing a keen investigative sense with the notion of service. As many on this site have served, either in LE or Military, service people HAVE to trust implicity. I know that I had to trust the guy I shared a foxhole with. I may have met him that day, but I have to trust that he is willing to die for me as I am for him. An LE officer has to trust the his partner will be there for him no matter what.
I grew up the son of an LE officer, and I got to know each and every partner my dad had. Though some may have had their personal problems, I knew I could trust them to take care of my dad, and the partners kids knew my dad would do the same. And the LE officers knew that when they were in trouble, they could trust that the department would send back-up if requested, and never question if it was really needed. And the SWAT sniper would trust that the order to take out a target was justified, even though he may not see a reason to kill.
I argue that implicit trust is not only trained to LE and service members, it is part of who they are. You have to trust those around you -- it is how we survive. True, my inference that the FBI could be trusted just like I trusted the Army was my downfall. But ask any service member who knows nothing about Federal LE about any of those agencies, and they will most likely tell you that they would offer the same amount of trust to them as they offer their own branch of service.
Just because an LEO trusts his agency implicitly doesn't mean he has no knack for investigation. Just the contrary -- the LEO who doesn't have to worry about watching his back because he knows his partner and his agency are watching it for him, that LEO is free to do that much more investigating, instead of covering his ass.
I know this utopia doesn't exist, but it is what our LE agencies should strive to have.
Poly-Cop,
If all of us here are so stubborn and adverse to change, why come back? Why post? Why waste your time, if we are so worthless? I'm confused . . .
Breeze,
You know where I stand with the poly. My hatred of the polygraph system lies solely in the PLCQT, the test in which countermeasures work best on. Countermeasures might be detected, or might go undetected. But no one will debate that they exist, that they are fairly easy to learn, and that they can go undetected. Given that major flaw, and the NAS report's poor marks for PLCQT accuracy, shouldn't this test's days be numbered?
Gino,
Never been bird hunting. But if you want to talk about hunting bad Bosnians, I can chime in.
Fair Chance,
I could not have said what you wrote any better myself. Bravo. 12 hours for 3 tests? I guess I was an anomoly. My one test lasted 2 days -- 5 and a half hours the first day, and then I came back for 4 more the next. I think it was an attempt by the polygrapher to continue to insult me by questioning my pariotism to the point that my blood was boiling so he would have the desired results on the chart. Just a hunch . . . Maybe blood temperature should be something recorded on the strip? (that's a joke people -- please don't send messages about 98.6 and all that, OK?)
Hope I discussed all the pertinent topics.
Chris
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