I have reading this site for about 3 weeks now.  I wish I would have researched the poly before I took mine.  Apparently, I am very naive thinking that everything would be Okay...

I took the Secret Service Poly several weeks back.  In the whole process, the last thing I worried about was the poly.  Needless to say, a week before, the polygrapher called and said do not talk to anyone or do any research on the internet about the polygraph procedure.  I thought, no problem.  I have never been polygraphed in my life.  I was one of the naive ones who thought that by just being honest, everything would be okay.   

I wrote on my application that I used marijuana 10 times.  This was back around high school and beginning of college.   In other words, a decade ago.  When I finished with the first two hours of interrogation, he hooked me up to the machine.  He asked me the questions four times.  He then had me go to the bathroom, and I came back.   However, I should state, that prior to getting started, he stated that if you've murder, raped, or smoked marijauna a 1000 times, we will have a problem.  His next statement was, so if we said that you used marijauna under 15 - 20 times the polygraph would not show a response.  I said without a doubt.

When I came back from my last break, he said we had an issue with the drug question.  Well, at the beginning he stated that if you are deceptive, you automatically fail.  So I was thinking that I automatically failed.  I was trying to save myself from doing something I wanted to do all my life.  He stated that there is no way I used less that twenty times, and stupid me, I said I don't believe I used 15 - 20 times, should I say 30 (thinking that by saying this I would be deemed truthful).  He stated that he could not tell me what to say.  By this time, my head is spinning.  In the end, I signed this paper stating I used marijauna 25 times.

People have said, why would you sign it if it weren't true.  My only response is, you had to have been there.  All I was thinking,  this is what I wanted to do all my life and this is it.  I wasn't thinking at the time, well if I say this, it will disqualify me.

In the end, he stated that he really had me wrapped around an axel.  He stated that this issue had been resolved.  Which means, I guess I passed the poly, but will be disqualified based upon my admission.

What I don't get, he asked the question if I had lied about anything on my application.  There was no problem when I answered this question.  If I was lying about the 10 times I used marijauna, which I put on my application, surely that would have shown that I was responding to that question.

After reading this site,  I now know I should have remained firm with what I put on my application.  I just wish I would not have been so naive.  I can't believe, after getting my MA and four years of law enforcement experience, this is it.  I can't apply with the S.S., FBI, DEA, ATF.  I am just sick that I signed this document and know that it is not true.

If you chose to respond thanks, I just needed to get this off my chest.  Thanks for your site.

One thing you can do is to write to the Secret Service explaining the circumstances that led to your false admission and requesting that the letter be added to your file. While I doubt that the USSS would reconsider your application, in the event that circumstances should ever arise leading to the release of your USSS file to another agency, it would be better if your explanation were also part of that file.