darkcobra2005,
Replies below:
darkcobra2005 wrote on May 27
th, 2005 at 3:35am:
Polygraph examiners are skilled in detecting countermeasures and most do a good job at it. Some are not so good.
This seems to be a commonly held view amongst polygraph examiners. Yet the polygraph community has offered no evidence to support its claimed ability to detect countermeasures.
If you were called upon to provide expert testimony in a court that a subject had employed polygraph countermeasures of the kind outlined in
The Lie Behind the Lie Detector, how would you go about doing that? What supporting documentation could you provide for your opinion that the subject had employed countermeasures?
Quote:I have now read "A Citizen Soldier's Encounter with the Polygraph". I do have questions regarding the decisions that were made by you in not filing any legal procedings to rectify what you describe as an injustice. There are remedies you could have persued and did not.
Actually, I did exhaust all administrative avenues of appeal with the FBI, LAPD, and Army. I chose not to become a plaintiff in the ongoing federal polygraph lawsuits currently being litigated by Mark Zaid largely because by the time they were filed, I no longer desired to work with the FBI.
Quote:I do apolagize for stating you are living as a foreign national, however you have moved to another country that has differences with the United States, that does concern me and causes me to beware of you. That is a personal choice I make, not an accusation against you.
Yes, the Netherlands has differences with the United States, as do all foreign countries. If that makes you suspicious of me, so be it.
Quote:I will not attack you, I will continue to point out that what you are advocating with this site is in opposition to the opinion of the majority of the citizens of this county. Do I have studies that validate my point of view? No, I only listen to persons and ask questions regarding the purpose of the antipolygraph.org site. A majority of the persons I have discussed this with are oppositional to the site, of course they have not had a bad encounter with the polygraph.
For your information, I am talking about individuals with no knowledge of polygraph and limited exposure to criminal justice procedings.
This is a welcome step back from your earlier blanket statement that I "have views in opposition to those of the Citizens of the United States." No doubt, many US citizens will disagree with
what AntiPolygraph.org advocates. Whether they are a majority or not, I do not know. But in my experience, when people are told the truth about polygraphy (including an honest explanation of CQT procedure), they tend to agree that polygraph screening is a bad idea.
Quote:The statements that you make regarding courts not allowing polygraph are false. I know, I have testified in several court procedings regarding the results of polygraph testing. In some cases for the prosecution, in others for the defense. I believe in justice for all, not some.
While polygraph results are generally not admissible as evidence in American courtrooms, I recognize that in a number of jurisdicitions, and in a variety of circumstances, they may be.
Quote:Is polygraph the answer to all investigations? No it is not and should never be considered to be. Investigation is the key and polygraph then to narrow down the field and find the individual or individual's involved in a crime.
I agree that the polygraph is no cureall, and that investigation is key. But I think it is risky to rely on polygraph results to narrow down the field, as police apparently did with frostibud108, who was wrongly cleared after "passing" a polygraph examination while using countermeasures.
Quote:It is valuable in screening applications also, but should not be used as the sole determining factor in the hiring process. It is a "Tool" that if used properly can assist in the investigation of backgrounds as well as crimes.
I agree with you that if polygraph screening is to be used at all, it should not be used as the sole determining factor in making hiring decisions. But for those who "fail," it generally is. No further investigation is made. The applicant is branded a liar and his application for employment is terminated. This is morally wrong and should be stopped.
Quote:You still have not answered the question regarding why you left the United States and now reside in another country.
I don't recall your asking this question. I came to The Netherlands to pursue an employment opportunity. I'm not in some sort of self-imposed exile, if that's what you are thinking.
Quote:Your reference to your soldiers story is interesting and somewhat informative. I would like to know what in particular the investigators found in your background that caused your clearance to be revoked and why the law enforcement agency found you to be unsuitable. It may be that you cannot answer these questions because you don't have a ready answer, and the information has not been made available to you That would be an acceptable explination, it should be stated in that manner, rather than as an accusation against all polygraph examiners.
I have little to add to that which already appears in my public statement. I would just remind you that the acting chief of the Defense Security Service's polygraph unit opined, "It does not appear that specific allegations have been provided by the other government agency (OGA) [that is, the FBI] upon which to recommend the conduct of a DSS polygraph examination." Unlike the FBI, the DSS
did conduct a thorough background investigation of me. The Army investigator who interviewed me covered all points that were later stated as reasons for revoking my clearance and gave a positive recommendation.
Quote:This is not meant as an attack on you, it is questions that I do have for which there may be no answer. I will still have the same questions on my mind when I read posts from you on this site. That is my right.
Of course you have the right to doubt me. And if I say anything with which you disagree, you also have the right to say so here and explain the basis of your disagreement (a right that I and other polygraph critics do not enjoy on the
PolygraphPlace.com message board.)