http://www.paysonroundup.com/section/localnews/story/29669

Number of sex offenders increases in Gila County

By Michael Leiby, Roundup staff reporter

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

According to Detective George Ratliff of the Gila County Sheriff's Department, there are more sex offenders living in the Payson area than in previous years.

A check of the Department of Public Safety Web site shows 12 registered sex offenders living within Payson town limits.

"Anyone convicted of a sex crime and released from jail or put on probation (in Arizona) must register within 10 days of release or placement on probation," Ratliff said. "If a sex offender moves from one city, county or town to another, or one address to another, they must also notify me.

"They have 90 days to make that notification, but if they fail to do it, they are also guilty of a class 4 felony, and their risk assessment level could go higher."

Ratliff said that it would not be inconceivable for a "register only" offender to go as high as a level 2 or 3 depending on the re-evaluation from the risk assessment test.

Ratliff also uses CVSA, or Comprehensive Voice Stress Analysis, to help determine the truthfulness of statements made by registrants during the risk assessment evaluation.

He said it is a very effective tool in his opinion.

"I'm not real satisfied or confident in results from polygraph tests, but CVSA is an excellent tool in my opinion," he said. "It uses the same technology as the FBI and other prominent law enforcement agencies use, and I have great confidence in its accuracy."

Ratliff added that he has had great success using voice analysis in all areas regarding interviewing suspects and victims in sexual offenses.

He said, "I had this one case where a juvenile was alleging that a parent had molested them. I tested the parent and found no abnormalities in the voice patterns."

"But," Ratliff said, "When I tested the juvenile, there was noticeable variation in the voice patterns and I was able to determine, and get a confession that the parent had not molested the juvenile and the juvenile just wanted to ‘put a scare into' the parent as revenge for being punished."

Ratliff said the use of CVSA and other technology tools by the sheriff's department has made it possible for him to better categorize sex offenders, and consequently better protect the community to the best of his ability.

"I only have two level 3 offenders living in the area, both are transients, but they have to report to me every 90 days for a review," he said.

As far as there being "more" sex offenders living in Payson than in previous years, Ratliff said he is not overly concerned with that statistic.

He said, "Yes, there are a greater number of sex offenders living in Payson, but I have more countywide as well, not just in Payson."

Currently, there are 155 registered sex offenders living in Gila County, according to figures provided by Ratliff.

Ratliff said he attributes the increase in resident sex offenders to the fact that the population in Gila County, and indeed Payson, has risen over the last few years.

According to U.S. Census Bureau figures, Gila County had a population of approximately 53,000 in 2006, compared to just over 51,000 in 2000, an increase of about 3 percent.

Ratliff said he feels the increase in resident sex offenders is commensurate with population growth, and does not constitute a concern for the community.

He said, "Whenever a sex offender moves into the community, (the Sheriff's department) send out notification to the surrounding neighborhoods."

Ratliff said he is hopeful the new regulations included in the "Adam Walsh" law will make it easier to keep track of sex offenders.

Ratliff said the department is putting together a Web site to keep community residents informed as to the levels and locations of sex offenders in Payson and surrounding communities.

In Arizona, a person convicted of a sex crime is required to be registered as a sex offender for the duration of their lifetime, according to A.R.S. 13-3821A.

Ratliff warns against overreacting to the presence of sex offenders living in the community.

He said, "While we are obviously concerned with the safety of the community above all, we also will not tolerate harassment of resident registered sex offenders.

"The way I look at it is, they have served their time and paid their debt to society, unless they give me a reason to suspect them of something, I am not going to unnecessarily harass them."

A complete list of sex offenders and their addresses, including sex offenders in Payson and surrounding communities, and level of risk assessment can be accessed on the DPS Web site at DPS.gov.

Perhaps the Gila County man was referring to the PSE 5128, which I seem to recall
being touted by its new backers as the most Comprehensive Voice Stress Analyzer
etc...

Visit the website of www.dektorpse.com ;

The Dektor PSE tribe clamed to have invented VSA. In fact the original 'inventor'
was Charles McQuiston (deceased), who actually was never directly involved in Dektor.

When denouncing the VSA in all its guises, remember that the most important flaw, is its
inability to cater for the onset delay of FOF syndrome.

4. Explain how the polygraph instrument works and the F³ theory of deception detection--be very brief. Use the following example as a guideline.

You may be a little nervous, especially if you have not had a PDD examination before. This is expected and is quite normal. To help put you at ease, I will explain what the instrument is and how it works. The polygraph is a diagnostic tool that is used to determine if a person is telling the truth. It simply records physiological changes that take place in your body when you are asked questions. Today, changes in your respiration, sweat gland activity, and blood pressure will be recorded. Please notice the two rubber tubes on the desk. One will be placed across your chest and the other will be placed around your abdominal area. They will be used to record your breathing. There are two metal finger plates next to the rubber tubes. These plates will be attached to two of your fingers and will record your sweat gland activity. Finally, there is a blood pressure cuff on the desk. It is the same type of cuff a doctor uses to measure blood pressure. It will be placed on your arm and will monitor changes in your cardiovascular activity.

These physiological changes are a result of an automatic response system in your body. It is a response system over which you have no control. For example, visualize yourself walking down a dark
alley late at night. Suddenly you hear a loud noise. You will instantaneously decide either to remain where you are and investigate the source of the noise, or to flee the area, sensing danger to your well being. Regardless of the choice you make, your body automatically adjusts itself to meet the needs of the situation; your heart may beat faster, your breathing may change and you may break out in a cold sweat.

When you were growing up, if you are like most people, you were raised to know the difference between right and wrong. Quite probably, all of the adults you came in contact with--your parents, grandparents, relatives, teachers, church officials--taught you that lying, cheating, and stealing were wrong. Ever since you were a young child, you have been programmed to know that lying is wrong. Think about the first time you lied and got caught. Remember how your body felt during that confrontation. Your heart may have been racing or you may have been sweating. However, the responses were automatic; your body adjusted to the stress of the situation.

People are not always 100% honest. Sometimes it is kinder and more socially acceptable to lie than to be honest - such as telling someone you like their clothes when you really think the clothes are awful. It is important for you to understand that even though a lie might be socially acceptable or only a small lie, or a lie by omission, your body still responds. The recording on the polygraph will show only the physiological responses. It cannot know what kind of lie you are telling. Therefore, it is extremely important that you be totally honest to those questions concerning this project.

There is no scientifically credible evidence that the PSE [Psychological Stress Evaluator], the CVSA, the Mark 1000 VSA, the Hagoth, the Truth Phone, or any other currently available device can reliably measure differences in "stress" as reflected in the human voice. There is considerable evidence that these devices, used in connection with standard lie detection test interrogations, discriminate the deceptive from the truthful at about chance levels of accuracy; that is, the voice stress "lie test" has roughly zero validity. One business enterprise to learn this, to their cost, was the high-tech house of prostitution mentioned in an epigraph to this chapter. According to a 1979 story in the Chicago Sun Times, an undercover agent for the Cook County sheriff's vice squad was required to submit to a PSE lie test when he visited the house posing as a client. The test questions had to do with whether he was connected in any way with the police. To his surprise, the agent passed the test and was granted client privileges. The PSE was confiscated in the ensuing sheriff's raid but the news report does not reveal what finally became of it. Let us hope the Cook County sheriff is not using it to interrogate criminal suspects....