Well, where do I start….after many police departments turned me down due to arrests and drug experimentation when I was 16/17 (I’m now “over 30”), I found a larger department that I really thought I had a chance with. They looked past all the crap in my earlier years after a very successful military career, including just returning from Iraq with multiple awards. Had the interview/polygraph last week and I was amazed. The polygrapher said that I was trying to beat the test…I was spiking all over the place. When I told him, “I was slowing my breathing down” and he asked “Why?” I told him the truth, “because my heart felt like it was going to blow out of my chest and that’s the first thing you do with someone having an adrenaline rush, slow their breathing down so they maintain control” He asked me if I ever researched how to beat a polygraph. Over and over and over…my answer still remains the same, “NO, NEVER” Well, here I am today, now researching it LOL to find out WTH he was talking about” “Well, my machine is telling me you’re trying to beat the test” “Sir, I’m not” “Well, it’s either that or you have something BIG you’re not telling me, causing you to spike across the whole test” We hashed over the questions, even letting me read the sheet, showing which ones were designed to catch lies and the control questions….over and over again, he was “trying to help” me for an hour. It came down to, “Well Sir, it appears that unless I change my answer and tell you that I have researched how to beat the polygraph, I won’t be ‘passed’ and move on to the next stage.” “I’m not saying that, I just want the truth” “I am telling you the truth and although it might help me to say I have researched it, THAT would be a lie and I have too much integrity to do that” Well, that ended the test and I had to see my background investigator. He had me “sign off” for a few months, and I can start the process again. I have more integrity than 99% of the cops I know, and have worked side-by-side with, including those in combat….so this crap really confuses the hell out of me and I’m totally frustrated. They said there is no appeal process, etc. and although I’ve been told by countless friends, that are totally amazed I didn’t breeze through (because unfortunately I’m one of the most honest people you’ll ever meet), to get a lawyer and fight it…why? So I can be blacklisted for life? No thanks….. One last thing....i know that a background investigation takes up a lot of resources, but i would think this would be the perfect opportunity for them to use the background to find out that i really am a great candidate...maybe i'm just confused...who knows....but surely frustrated.
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