1.  You cant lose your job because of the failure of a CVSA test, seek a lawyer.

2.  There is no inconclusive tests concerning the CVSA, they are either deceptive or non deceptive.  Seek a lawyer.

3.  The CVSA tests are only as good as the operator and its only a tool to assist in the interview of subjects.

4.  Before George W. Maschke our especially senior user has the chance to say it I will, CVSA is not capable of lie detection.  It, as so named, is a voice stress analyzer which is just another tool for the interviewers.

Sorry about your luck
TN Cop

county26,

It is to be hoped that the sheriff has also learned how stupid it is to rely on the results of a CVSA "test." He might just as well have consulted a Magic 8-Ball.

TN Cop,

Don't you see the contradiction between your statement that CVSA results are either "deceptive" or "non-deceptive" and your admission that CVSA is not capable of lie detection?

???

county26,

I'm glad you were able to obtain a favorable letter of reference from the sheriff, and wish you all the best in finding  the job of your choice. Under the circumstances, shouldn't you be eligible for re-hire by the county?

I'm sorry that unfounded suspicion based on an invalid test has had such a disruptive impact on your life. I hope your local county doesn't require one to pass a "lie detector" test (whether CVSA or the polygraph) as a condition of employment. If it does, see The Lie Behind the Lie Detector for tips on how to pass. Although this e-book does not directly address CVSA, the "behavioral countermeasures" presented in Chapter 4 will be helpful in any interview/interrogation.

Unfortunately, it seems that governmental reliance on lie detectors is growing, rather than shrinking, despite the overwhelmingly negative recent findings of the National Academy of Sciences in its report, The Polygraph and Lie Detection, which also addresses voice stress analyzers. Depending on where you live, you might have little choice about whether or not to submit to a lie detector test if you want to work in public safety.

I hope you might consider helping us to spread the word about lie detectors to others before they become victims. For example, if you participate in any other message boards, please consider mentioning the information available here (it's all free) if the subject of lie detectors comes up. For additional ideas, see our Get Involved page.

If we are to put an end to misplaced governmental reliance on lie detectors, we need to make those who are subject to it aware that it's a fraud.

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This would be much appreciated. External links (the number of Websites that find a particular site worthy of a link) influence Google rankings tremendously. If you could link the home page (instead of the message board), it would go a long way toward helping us keep our #1 ranking.

Thanks again, and all the best in the New Year.

TN Cop,

You write among other things:
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People get screwed not just because of examiner incompetence, but because the exam itself is without validity. The "National Institute of Truth Verification" (NITV) and the community of CVSA operators are complicit in promoting public belief in a lie (the notion that CVSA can detect deception). How many CVSA devices would NITV be able to sell to government agencies at $10,000-a-pop if they were to honestly explain that CVSA can neither detect deception nor "verify the truth" and in fact has no scientific basis at all? How many city councils would approve the expenditure of taxpayer dollars for CVSA devices and training if the public safety officers who sought them were to truthfully explain that the device is no more accurate than a coin toss?

I am neither a CVSA nor a polygraph operator. I'm just a concerned citizen. My concerns about lie detection (and discovery that it is a fraud) began when I was falsely accused of deception during an FBI pre-employment polygraph examination. For an account of that experience, see my statement, "Too Hot of a Potato: A Citizen-Soldier's Encounter with the Polygraph."