I'm involved in a petty larceny incident.. and the cop didn't seem too convinced during the questioning w/ me when I tried to claim i did NOT do it..

I'm considering actually requesting them to do a polygraph on me.. to try and bluff my way outta it...

because

1) If i request it they'll think i'm not guilty, because a guilty party would try to avoid the polygraph, and they might just drop it right away and believe me (slim.. but i can hope)
2) I believe I can beat the polygraph test if they actually administer it to me, then the cop will probably believe me after that. I know it's not valid for court, but i'm trying to PREVENT this from GOING to court (if i go to court I win for sure, there's not sufficient evidence to convict me, but I don't want to go there). If i take a polygraph and pass it, there's a good shot they'll just drop it.. i mean, this is a misdemeanor here, nothing big at all.
3) They might deny the polygraph.. but I think requesting it would help me, because most people who are hiding something are scared of taking the test.

Good Idea? Crappy idea?

Of course, if I fail the polygraph I'm still sticking with my story that I didn't do it (not gonna fess up cuz of the polygraph).. and I guess I'll have to get a lawyer.

Well.. let me explain the situation a little further (originally I didn't want to get into too much detail)..

I did not actually STEAL anything, I was the "lookout guy." A buddy of mine talked me into helping him steal a fire extiguisher as a drunk prank...

So no problem.. it's a $225 fine for tampering with fire equipment, right? I would've just fessed up to it and sucked up the fine (this is @ a college campus, things like that don't normally go to the police, you just take a fine and it's done and over with)

What complicates things is apparently that fire extinguisher ended up through the back window of a car in the parking lot outside of the building it was taken from, something me and my friend did NOT do, he grabbed it and after we got out of the building, he just dropped it.

Problems:
- I was the only one seen, and I don't want to rat out my friend
- If i take responsibility for stealing the extinguisher, their going to pin me with throwing it through someone's car window, something I WILL go to court from, and something I probably WILL get convicted for, even though I didn't do it!

Plus they do NOT have solid evidence I was originally involved with the theft of the extinguisher, but if i confess to that, their going to pin the latter part of it (And the much worse part of it) on me as well.

I mean, if all I had to do was pay the $225 fine that would normally be issued to me as a penalty, I wouldn't screw around with trying to BS my way through police questioning/interrogation/polygraphy, but I would probably be facing jailtime and/or expulsion from the college if they prove me guilty for smashing someone's car window, which is very likely if I confessed to taking the extinguisher, I mean, saying I stole a fire extinguisher, then dropped it outside the building, and someone else picked it up and threw it thru the window has no foundation for any type of defense.

THE PROBLEM WITH THE inaccuracy of the polygraph is not with false negatives. I think it is pretty damn hard to simply not react to a question if you are in fact lying. The issue with polygraph is the false positive due to the factors that cause reation not related to lying and/or the ridiculous assumptions made in the test formats.

I doubt you can just "beat the poly" because you think you are a cool customer.