Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) Ethics Complaint Against Edward I. Gelb (Read 75199 times)
Paste Member Name in Quick Reply Box George W. Maschke
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Re: Ethics Complaint Against Edward I. Gelb
Reply #15 - Jun 15th, 2006 at 11:11pm
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In light of the American Polygraph Association's unwillingness to hold Mr. Gelb accountable for his unethical conduct, I today filed a second ethics complaint against him with the California Association of Polygraph Examiners, of which Gelb is also a member:

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15 June 2006

Hart Nibbrigkade 22
2597 XV The Hague
The Netherlands

maschke@antipolygraph.org

Mr. Jamie Skeeters
President
California Association of Polygraph Examiners

president@californiapolygraph.com


Dear Mr. Skeeters:

I write to bring to your attention misconduct by Edward I. Gelb of Los Angeles, a member of the California Association of Polygraph Examiners (CAPE).

In marketing his polygraph services, Mr. Gelb holds himself out to the public as holding a Ph.D. degree in psychology. On his website (http://www.polygraphexpert.com), Mr. Gelb styles himself, “Dr. Edward I. Gelb, Ph.D.” In 1997, he represented himself as a Ph.D. to the United States Supreme Court as a co-signer (http://truth.boisestate.edu/amicus/list.html) of the Committee of Concerned Social Scientists’ amicus brief (http://truth.boisestate.edu/amicus/brief.html) in U.S. v. Scheffer, where he is listed as “Ed Gelb, Ph.D.” And on the CAPE website’s List of Certified Examiners, Gelb is listed as “Dr. Gelb, Ed – Ph.D.” (http://www.californiapolygraph.org/members/roster.htm#Certified%20Examiner).

However, AntiPolygraph.org has assembled compelling evidence that Mr. Gelb never received a doctoral degree from any accredited university. The comprehensive Dissertation Abstracts database (the definitive worldwide collection of doctoral dissertations including over 1.6 million records dating back to 1861) includes no doctoral dissertation by an Edward Gelb.

AntiPolygraph.org has obtained a copy of Gelb’s resume (see attachment) that was included in court documents filed in a civil suit in 2002. Writing about himself in the third person, here is what Gelb says about his educational background: “Dr. Gelb was educated at the University of Southern California, LaSalle University and U.C.L.A.. He has been awarded a bachelor’s degree in political science, a master’s degree in psychology and a doctorate in psychology.”

Gelb doesn’t state where or when he earned which degree. Perhaps he wished the court to infer that he listed the universities in the same order that he listed his degrees and that he earned a bachelor’s degree at USC, a master’s degree at LaSalle, and a doctorate at UCLA. But this is certainly not the case. Had Gelb earned his Ph.D. at UCLA (or USC), his dissertation would surely be included in the Dissertation Abstracts database. That leaves LaSalle University. There is a legitimate institution of higher learning called LaSalle University in Philadelphia, but it awarded its first Ph.D. degree of any kind in 2002, years after Gelb began putting the letters “Ph.D.” after his name. Mr. Gelb did not earn a doctoral degree there.

The “LaSalle University” that awarded Gelb his “doctorate” is a defunct, unaccredited diploma mill in Mandeville, Louisiana that was owned and operated by one Thomas James Kirk, A.K.A. Thomas McPherson. In 1996, LaSalle was raided by the FBI, and in 1997 Kirk pled guilty to federal fraud charges.

On 2 May 2006, the city council of Long Beach, California voted to approve a $150,000 one-year, extensible contract with Mr. Gelb’s company, Intercept, Inc., to provide polygraph services to the Long Beach Police Department. Mr. Gelb’s misrepresentation of himself as a Ph.D. may have unduly influenced Long Beach officials’ decision making in awarding this contract. Mr. Gelb’s claim to academic honors he has not earned misleads the public and gives him an unfair edge over those of his competitors who do not fraudulently claim to have doctoral degrees.

Mr. Gelb’s conduct is inconsistent with Article 4 (Code of Ethics), Para. B of the CAPE Constitution, which requires that members “[m]aintain the highest standards of professional, moral and ethical conduct by assuming the responsibility for conduct and behavior designed to serve the cause of truth and justice.” By deceitfully passing himself off as a Ph.D., Mr. Gelb is serving not the cause of truth and justice, but that of unscrupulous self interest.

I trust that you will promptly investigate this matter and take corrective action.

Sincerely,

[signed]

George W. Maschke
AntiPolygraph.org


A PDF version of this letter may be downloaded here:

http://antipolygraph.org/documents/gelb-complaint-cape-15-06-2006.pdf

CAPE President Jamie Skeeters promptly acknowledged receipt, mentioning that he has forwarded it to CAPE's ethics committee, which will investigate and advise both me and Gelb of its findings.
  

George W. Maschke
I am generally available in the chat room from 3 AM to 3 PM Eastern time.
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Re: Ethics Complaint Against Edward I. Gelb
Reply #16 - Jun 15th, 2006 at 11:34pm
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George,

I agree that your complaint and their subsequent response gives you something else to point to when discussing the polygraph with the press and consumers.

But your point of the APA needing to set ethical standards doesn't hold because polygraphy, as a pseudocscience, is unethical to begin with because it doesn't work. Why would the APA excommunicate a member from its ranks because he is a fraud when its membership is based on fraud?

Kevin Trudeau makes millions selling a book on natural cures that don't work. People know that he's a convicted thief but it hasn't made one iota of difference to his bottom line. I don't think Gelb is any different, especially since the polygraph is so ingrained into the police psyche.

I'm not trying to belabor the point here, I'm with you in believing that the polygraph should be tossed on the trash heap with all the junk that used to be used in criminal justice such as phrenology, lead bullet content analysis (a victory for the NAS, I might add), and repressed memory syndrome. But we, meaning academics and scientists, need to be more vocal in our oppositions to overcome the lure of wishful thinking that the polygraph provides. 

Your site provides a basis for people to find out the truth behind the polygraph and it is a great bullhorn for the cause of those who have been harmed by these junk-peddlers. But everytime I see a show like Gelb's or on psychic detectives, I realize that getting rid of pseudoscience is harder that it looks. Pardon the pun but I wish that reality sold as well as wishful thinking.

Regards,

-digithead
  
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Re: Ethics Complaint Against Edward I. Gelb
Reply #17 - Jun 15th, 2006 at 11:49pm
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George,

Thanks for taking the time to file the complaints and make efforts to advance a change in attitude and policy.  Taking a stand for what is right is important, regardless of the results.
  
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Re: Ethics Complaint Against Edward I. Gelb
Reply #18 - Jun 19th, 2006 at 7:30am
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gelbpost

FOCUS ON PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE APA RATHER THAN THE ETHICS OF “DR” GELB

        In its official reply to George, the APA was acting as if it were primarily or even exclusively a research oriented society like the Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR).  If it were like SPR, then the position that it will act only for advertisements and articles in APA's journal, the Polygraph, would be defensible.  And to a neutral reader like my wife, the APA’s letter seems justifiable at least content, if not in tone.

So, at first glance  (and assuming, as I of course do not, that there is any scientific basis to the polygraph, and that it, therefore, is possible to do research on it), this seems a reasonable defence.  As a parallel, if someone were to complain to SPR that a former president of SPR, in his separate  practice as a clinical psychologist,  misrepresented himself as having obtained a D.Sc. (higher than a Phd) when he had not, SPR would probably only act to make sure that in its journal this individual did not advertise himself as a D.Sc., nor claim this title in any of his publications in the journal.

        However, the APA is predominantly a professional organization of practitioners that offer scientifically-based services of a psychological sort to the community.  It purports to tell the community whether someone is telling the truth or lying, or is innocent or guilty.  It is much more like the real APA (the American Psychological Association—here I’ll use rAPA to distinguish it from the polygraphic APA) than SPR.  In fact it is further from SPR than APA, which does contain a significant scientific, non-practitioner component, and still retains the highest research-impact psychology journals, whereas the APA’s journal, Polygraph, doesn’t even make it into the low-impact, peer-reviewed scientific journals category).

     Now if the rAPA were notified that one of its former presidents who was also a practitioner, did not hold a PhD from a recognized institution (and, in particular, there was no record of the abstract of his PhD thesis being published in dissertation abstracts), the rAPA would be obligated to investigate if this charge was true.  If it was, the rAPA would bound in terms of its professional obligations of protecting the public, to act against this former president, and to expel him formally from rAPA.  A similar case occurred some years ago with the (in)famous psychologist, Joyce Davidson, who was expelled from the rAPA for what is essentially professional misconduct.  By the way, I recall Joyce, because on the “Lie Detector”, the show which starred Gelb as the polygrapher, she averred that the only danger with the polygraph was one that was given by someone who was not a member of the APA.  The video where she said this can be viewed on http://www.psych.utoronto.ca/~furedy/polygraph.htm, see 1st section, item 29 (also somewhere on antipolygraph archives).

     A more minor, but still significant, point is Gelb’s apparent claim that he holds a PhD in psychology, which is certainly the most relevant academic discipline to the purportedly science-based practice of polygraphy as endorsed by the APA. To the extent that he has claimed psychology as a discipline in which he did his PhD (or other degrees), and this claim is false, the APA should have the same problem with him as the rAPA would have if an ex president claimed he had a degree in psychology, whereas he really only had the degree in some other discipline like theology.  This false claim should be of interest to any professional organization, because it is a danger to the public to pretend that one has a degree in a profession-related discipline, whereas the degree is really in a discipline that is not related to the profession.  

     So while George’s pursuit of an individual charlatan may be more suitable for legal suits, I think that anti-polygraph should give at least equal attention to the unprofessional conduct of the APA.  This attention is independent of the other basic issue to which academics like me have given most attention: the lack of any scientific rationale for the practice of polygraphy as conducted by APA members.  To return to my entrails-reading parallel, this is as if an individual entrails-reading priest allegedly  lied about his background in disciplines that are purported to underlie entrails reading, and the temple of priests, when confronted with these allegations, were as casual about them as the APA is, rather than how bodies like the rAPA or the AMA would handle such matters.

     Also, perhaps a follow-up letter to the APA may be in order, so it can more clearly be seen whether it continues to be so casual about its professional obligations.

All the best, John
« Last Edit: Jun 21st, 2006 at 3:28pm by furedy »  
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Re: Ethics Complaint Against Edward I. Gelb
Reply #19 - Jun 19th, 2006 at 8:10am
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Dr Furedy,

It is indeed an honor to have such a noted scientist as yourself on this board. There isn't a polygrapher even worthy of disputing you. Your comments and observations on the APA I am sure are going cause some heartburn for them. I do believe like you that somewhere there has to be an accounting for the deception and denial they broadcast. Your observations are by far some of the best I have seen. As a scientist and engineer myself, I applaud your insights.  Your website is also well done.


Regards  .....
  

Theory into Reality !!
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Re: Ethics Complaint Against Edward I. Gelb
Reply #20 - Jul 9th, 2006 at 1:45am
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George,

Your exposure of the Edward Gelb contract to the City of Long Beach is alarming. Long Beach has a great PD and provides great service to the City. Intercept may prevent this fine City from getting quality officers added to the force because of "issues" raised by the polygraph.

Since you sent that letter, City elections have taken place. Long Beach has a new mayor, Bob Foster, who was formerly the CEO of Southern California Edison. You may want to resend this letter to the incoming City Council to reiterate this critical information.  I feel confident that Mayor Foster and the new members of the City Council will find this information worth acting on.

I also suggest you send a copy of to Anthony W. Batts, the Chief of Police for Long Beach. Chief Batts is a highly educated person who would be appalled to see someone like Gelb who claims to have a doctorial degree that simply cannot be verified getting a contract to provide services for his agency

As always keep up the fantastic effort George.


Fred F. Wink
  
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Re: Ethics Complaint Against Edward I. Gelb
Reply #21 - Jul 9th, 2006 at 4:26am
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Skeeters is a fraudster as well.

He conducted an interview of a suspect in the Holloway case, led the kid on that he would get him into  college in California, promised him the moon, etc. and then turned the tape over to the Dr. Phil show who ALTERED it to make it sound like the man incriminated himself. 

Both the NIH and FBI reviewed the tape and determined it was manipulated. Although Skeeters probably did not alter the tape, he was part of this fraud and his interview with all the sleaziness is well documented.

What is it with California Polygraph Presidents.....
  
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Re: Ethics Complaint Against Edward I. Gelb
Reply #22 - Aug 5th, 2006 at 11:52pm
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Mr. Maschke, when do you expect CAPE to respond?
  
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Paste Member Name in Quick Reply Box George W. Maschke
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Re: Ethics Complaint Against Edward I. Gelb
Reply #23 - Aug 8th, 2006 at 11:40am
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meangino wrote on Aug 5th, 2006 at 11:52pm:
Mr. Maschke, when do you expect CAPE to respond?


I don't know. It has been almost two months now...
  

George W. Maschke
I am generally available in the chat room from 3 AM to 3 PM Eastern time.
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Re: Ethics Complaint Against Edward I. Gelb
Reply #24 - Oct 23rd, 2006 at 3:05pm
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I don't know. It has been almost two months now...   


Mr. Maschke, after more than four months do you expect CAPE to actually respond?
  
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Re: Ethics Complaint Against Edward I. Gelb
Reply #25 - Oct 23rd, 2006 at 10:13pm
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meangino wrote on Oct 23rd, 2006 at 3:05pm:


Mr. Maschke, after more than four months do you expect CAPE to actually respond?


No. But CAPE's silence speaks volumes.
  

George W. Maschke
I am generally available in the chat room from 3 AM to 3 PM Eastern time.
Tel/SMS: 1-202-810-2105 (Please use Signal Private Messenger or WhatsApp to text or call.)
E-mail/iMessage/FaceTime: antipolygraph.org@protonmail.com
Wire: @ap_org
Threema: A4PYDD5S
Personal Statement: "Too Hot of a Potato"
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Re: Ethics Complaint Against Edward I. Gelb
Reply #26 - Feb 23rd, 2009 at 5:59am
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Ed Gelb has been the "poster boy" for the APA, irregardless of him having a doctorate or not.  With his private investigation and polygraph firm, he is perhaps the most famous polygraph examiner in the entire world.  So the APA is very unlikely to censor Ed Gelb in any way.  If anything he is what makes the the APA "legitimate" .  Back when employment polygraphs were legitimate, I was examined by him at least once a year, and Larry West, on the alternate 6 months.  So with or without the "Ph.D." at the end of his name, nobody is going to touch him.  If the APA has any integrity it is entirely Ed Gelb that gives it to him.  So I do not think there is a chance at all to get Ed Gelb sensored in any way.  You can keep trying, but I think it is easier to go after the "small fries" first, before you go after the "Emperor of all Polygraph Examiners"  <BR><BR>Just a few thoughts,  <BR><BR>Benjamin
  
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Ethics Complaint Against Edward I. Gelb

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