Hi,

I have to take a polygraph tomorrow at 2pm (first one ever) and like most people I have skeletons in my closet I would rather not be divulged. I have read the free book on this site and have been practicing various countermeasure techniques. I have even had my wife (the ultimate lie detector) practice with me asking different questions (CQ, IQ, RQ) to see how I can react.

My greatest problem thus far is when I try to control my breathing after a relative question (I have great rythm from playing bass guitar for so many years  ) sometimes I have to swallow which obviously will mess up my breathing pattern. Does anyone else have problems with this or know how it will be addressed and interpreted by the polygrapher? Any tips on keeping this from happening?

Thanks in advance!

cesium_133 wrote on Jul 11^th, 2006 at 9:55am:


No, it's not. AntiPolygraph.org is here for the purpose of exposing and ending waste, fraud, and abuse associated with the use of polygraphs and other purported lie detectors. We make information about polygraph countermeasures freely available to the public to help truthful persons protect themselves against the risk of a false positive outcome, not to help deceptive persons hide "skeletons in [their] closet."

Quote:


With that said, there is still an awful lot of hierocracy among the law-enforcement community.  I haven’t met an cop yet who thinks that they have to follow the laws just like “average” citizens.  I could also quote multiple users on this site who justify that their particular reason for being disqualified as a candidate is somehow unique and should be an exception.  Multiple discussions occur about how a candidate should not confess their actions because they would be disqualified if they "told the whole truth."  Everyone feels very comfortable defining the "truth" for themselves.  Guess what; leaving out information is just as much of a lie.   
Is it unreasonable for an agency to exclude a candidate because they used an illegal drug or stole something?  Absolutely!  But many want to find a loophole because they believe "It was just a one time thing." or "I haven't done that for years and it's not the person I am now."  I'm sure for the majority, that is true.  Everyone deserves a second or even a third chance.  However, part of that process is admitting to mistakes in the past and accepting the consequences that come with them.  If that means not getting a job because of an agencies requirements, then so be it.  That person may think the policy of the organization is too restrictive, but obviously, they are getting their employees from somewhere, otherwise, they would change their policy.

The purpose of this site is to help protect innocent people from false-positives, but it will never be that restrictive.  There will be those that use the information to pass a polygraph while flat-out lying.  This just goes to show that the polygraph is a flawed instrument and should not be used for any purpose.

I highly recommend that you NOT take the polygraph unless you can get all of the information completely suppressed if the result is unfavorable.  Either they have enough evidence to charge you or they don’t.

On the issue of swallowing:  As long as you’re not making a pattern of it (i.e. swallowing after a certain RQ each time) I wouldn’t worry about it too much.  Your breathing pattern will be interrupted each time you answer or swallow, these are expected RANDOM actions.

If I want to swallow, I swallow; no big deal.

I showed up for the test and ended up not having to take it because it looks like the investigator is going to drop the case anyway due to some new evidence showing the accuser's statement to be false.

Thanks for your help in any event!