I've been dying to post about my poly experience with the USSS in early 2007. A bit of background: crim/law undergrad, MBA, yrs of finance-accounting work, not even a speeding ticket, straight up 100% American guy next door. 

The bad part: pot use 10 or less times, 1 and I mean 1 mediocre try of lsd with no results all more than 11 years prior-nothing more than a drink in 11 years.  I chose the field as I was seeing what drugs and the lifesyle did to my friends.  I know this is no excuse.

Made it through the TEA exam, interview, panel interview, and the poly came around. The examiner went through the typical pre-test questions. He asked me if I'd ever cheated. I said yes. He sternly (he seemed pissed)asked what I had cheated on. I stated that I cheated on tests before (think grade school), homework (who hasn't), video games (kill your friends player when they step away), golf, breaking in line to get in venues quicker, etc. He said, no you're not listening to me, have you EVER CHEATED on anything "BIG". I thought no as in like on my wife, taxes, etc. I said NO. He said good, that is what he was looking for. In my mind, cheating is cheating regardless of what was cheated on so I would be lying if I said no-thus failure.

Before attaching the pads to my palms, he told me to "wipe my hands on the arm rests of the exam chair". What a controlled experiment I thought. I hope others had nothing on their hands that would throw off results. You'd think I'd get alcohol swabbed or at least a hand cleaning. What if I'd placed something on my palms? I'm sure others didn't "wipe their hands on the chair" as a cleaning method. 

Long story short, at the end of the test I was told that I failed EVERY question. I asked "every question?". He said yes. 

"Every" question includes:

are you sitting down? yes
are you in...(insert city here)? yes
Is your name? yes

I was told that I showed deception about lying on my app. I didn't. I was even coerced into admitting that I failed to list a college that I attended for 2 quarters on my app and that was where I was lying. After I got home, I reviewed my app. I HAD LISTED the college on it. 

I was told that I showed deception about being ashamed of something.  I told him that of course I had, was, and will be ashamed about things in life but I can't remember them all.  Thus when he asked "besides what you have told me here, have you done anything that you are ashamed of".  I had to say yes because if I said no, then I would be lying as technically, I had not told him of every SINGLE thing I was ashamed of.  We argued more.  It was the same story as the cheating questions above.  He was looking for BIG things I guess.

He told me that I was lying about drug usage.  I told him that I had admitted all usage.  He told me that I was lying.  I asked him why I would lie when I had admitted LSD usage which I figured would be a deal killer.  I admitted this usage the very first day of the tea exam.  He told me that I was probably lying about that as well.  Why would I waste time and money?  Geez.

1 month later I received the "thin-letter". I was told that I could reapply 1 year from the letter's receipt. I doubt I will. 

I believe that the examiner pegged me from the beginning and there was no way to avoid failing.  When I walked in, I remember the agent looking surprised and then scowling as if he recognized an old school house enemy.  I remember being stunned a bit when he froze and looked at me.  Every more strange was after yelling and ranting during the exam, he shook my hand and wished me luck in an odd Jekyl and Hide way.  I honestly don't get it.  I'm even perplexed about how the agent could master such an art and be close to my age-I'm in my lower lower 30s.  He was clearly ex-military as well (not knocking).

Enough rambling, this was my experience.

Ouch! The Secret Service are infamous for being HARD CORE mofos. Last I heard, they will not hire anyone who has tripped acid---regardless of how you were taking a "mediocre" try of the drug. I happen to believe that the USSS has that policy not because they have some data regarding one time LSD usage, but because they simply don't need to hire people who have taken the substance---their numbers are fine. 
I gotta say, it's hard to tell the most clean cut, tough, hard-on agency that you did acid---and not have them think you are a degenerate in their eyes. You must have done a snowy number of explaining just why you did LSD. I personally wouldn't judge you and If I had a business---I wouldn't even need to know such, but remember, LSD to the Feds is the "Bank Robbery" of drugs----and nobody robs banks "just because of friends or a weird growth phase."
Also, 
Quote:


an interview with a hard core, nail chewing USSS agent should not include an argument. After the polygraph, he performed a "stress interview"-----an ugly form of combative litmus test to see if you have the emotional maturity and discipline to restrain your impulses of anger and righteous indignation. Google "Stress Interview." Sounds like you were rattled---as I would have been also---but I am not the USSS "type."

You will find something better----who needs to work for such rigidness except for rigid people!

I understand the whole "Bank Robbery" of drugs thing but my question is why not end it and say thank you on day one of my statement?  Why waste their money and time along with mine?  It came up again in the panel interview.  Why not say thanks and send me on my way?  As for a snowy number...well the process involves listing this info on the millions of pages of forms that are submitted.  Its a simple LSD 1x.  As for conversations with the agents,  I explained that a friend asked me to try it.  I did.  It did absolutely nothing.  I stuck to beer at college parties from then on. Truth is the truth.  I figured there would be no need in lying as they would ask on forms and in poly.

As for arguing, maybe that wasn.t the best of chosen words.  We had an intense discussion.  This did not take place just at the end but from the get go.

No counter measures, lying, or any type of cheating was done.  Why do it?  I'm tyring to get a job with a difficult agency.  Last thing I needed was to be dq'd for goofing off.  I'd made it that far and didn't want to take chances.

EJohnson wrote on Jan 9^th, 2008 at 9:44pm:


In my opinion this is yet another untenable aspect of the pseudoscientific polygraph process in pre-employment screening.

It has been repeatedly stated by many examiners on this board that any attempt by the subject to control their breathing or their thinking in order to remain calm during the polygraph test is dishonest and unethical.  At best, the subject’s actions will be called “purposeful non-compliance” and at worst will be called countermeasures.  Either way, the subject will not pass and therefore will not move forward in the application process.  Clearly, any conscious attempt to remain calm is proscribed behavior during a polygraph exam.

However, it is obviously accepted (though perhaps not universally utilized) procedure to conduct a stress interview during the post-test phase of the polygraph.  During that part of the polygraph process, a subject is expected to remain calm despite the stress, and is unlikely to move forward in the application process if unable to do so.  Clearly, failure to control your stress is also proscribed behavior during a polygraph exam.

The paradox is unavoidable.  Any conscious attempt to remain calm during one part of the polygraph will be viewed as dishonest and unethical behavior, but in another part of the test will be rated highly as a desirable trait for a law enforcement officer to possess.  Control your breathing to maintain your heart rate at non-stressful levels during one part of the test and you fail, do it during another part of the test and you pass.  Allow your body to react to stress without making any attempt to remain calm during one part of the test and you will be behaving as the examiner wants you to, but do the same thing in another part of the test and he or she will conclude you don’t have what it takes to be a law enforcement officer because you can’t handle stress.

Sergeant1107 wrote on Jan 11^th, 2008 at 1:43am:


Sarge:

I sit here laughing, (my wife thinks I am looney) because on my last poly, the examiner after the first run of questions confronted me about trying to control my breathing.  I laughed, and told him that he told me to remain calm, and I was simply breathing normally, not trying to artifically create any type of breathing pattern, just to remain calm.  You are exactly right in your comments above.