I've decided to add more details than what I included in my last post. Since I was a very small child, i've wanted to enter the field of local law enforcement. Every sport i've played, every job i've worked at, and every college course i've taken have all been geared toward my goal of becoming a police officer. I am now a week away from that goal, with a polygraph looming in my very near future. 

Toward the end of high school and beginning of college, I experimented with marijuana. Once a week, or even once every other week in the course of about 3 or 4 years doesnt sound so bad, until you come up with an estimated total of about 100-150 times. In my pre employment p/g questionnaire, i only cited about 20-25 uses. Besides this, I haven't violated any laws and have been a very productive member of my community. 

I have several questions concerning the upcoming p/g. When control questions are asked, are the examiners expecting a deceptive answer, since most people have done these things? And if not, why use CM's to hide what you are saying is true? Should the blocking technique and arithmetic procedures be used when lying or telling the truth to control questions, or both? I've read chapters 3 and 4 in TLBTLD, but am still confused about this

Thanks for any help you can give.........

Your story has touched my heart, re wishing to be a police officer your entire life,
but taking drugs at the same time.

I agree with the Sgt. It it is a pointless endeavour to now try and pass a polygraph
test by employing countermeasures. And indeed you particularly should not.

You owe it to society at large to seek another career.

Having read the Lie behind the lie... I did not find it any more usefull than the anecdotes
one comes across from time to time. It was obviously written by somebody who received
incomplete training, if any at all.

Dont take all this as a personal affront. Think deeply about your past and you will come to
find that law Enforcement is not really where you want to be.

Do you intend to fully disclose your prior habitual drug use during the application process, or is it your intention to conceal that information?

ABCDEFG123445 wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2007 at 8:15pm:

The preceding statement shows your intent to lie about your past.  That is simply not ethical behavior.

ABCDEFG123445 wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2007 at 8:15pm:

I don't assume you would be a dirty cop because you smoked pot.  I know you would be a dirty cop because you feel it is alright to lie about your past in order to obtain a job in law enforcement.

If you don't understand that police officers hold a position of public trust and, as such, must avoid even the appearance of impropiety, much less outright dishonest and unethical behavior such as you are speaking of, then you really do owe it to society to find another line of work.

Integrity is vital to a police officer, because we are presented with temptation constantly.  Even if no one else ever finds out you lied on your application by failing to disclose illegal behavior, YOU will know.  If that knowledge would not make you uncomfortable then I don't think you have the integrity to be an ethical police officer.  The profession doesn't need any more unethical police officers - the few we already have are a few too many.

ABCDEFG123445 wrote on Jul 24^th, 2007 at 5:04pm:

I don't see having smoked dope on a regular but infrequent basis for years as much of an issue. In and of itself. It wouldn't bother me in the slightest if you were applying for a typical job. However, that is simply not the issue here. Your clear lack of judgement and dubious ethics is.

Your own statements make a prima facie case that you are unqualified.

Since the entire period of smoking dope occurred while you knew your heart's desire was to be in LE and that that would disqualify you, if discovered, you simply had to believe it would not be discovered and hence you could lie about it without penalty. In LE work sometimes one is confronted with difficult decisions such as "enhancing evidence" when dealing with someone we deeply feel is guilty but where the extant evidence is ambiguous. This is, in a sense, selfless, and while illegal and wrong, it is still tempting to do. You have already demonstrated a willingness to lie for your own benefit. It's not a big stretch to presume you would be willing to lie to put away a bad guy.

Sergeant1107 wrote on Jul 25^th, 2007 at 4:17am:


Maybe this advise ought to be given to politicians... Seems it works for some of them... "Getting the job I mean"