I am going to attempt to make a long story short here… Almost a year ago I applied to the RCMP in Canada; I thought it would be a good job for a variety of reasons. I have a University degree; and had been employed overseas for several years. I did well on the written test, physical test and then the interview. Next came the polygraph, to be honest I was always skeptic about the polygraph (who isn’t?) so I did a little of research on the internet, I found this site and briefly looked over it. I basically decided that I would trust the RCMP and believed that if I was 100% honest I would pass the “test”, I guess I thought this site was alarmist and perhaps not reliable. Huge mistake. 

Well you can guess what happened if I’m writing here. Yes I “failed” the test. I maintained my innocence in the post interrogation. I left feeling perplexed and very disappointed. The next day I went to my old University library to research the polygraph and figure out how it was possible to fail while being truthful. My jaw almost hit the floor when I read The Polygraph and Lie Detection written by the National Research Council in 2003 concerned about inaccuracy of polygraphs. Equally disturbing was the 1981 report, A Tremor in the Blood by famous psychologist Dr. David Lykken, also illuminating the short-comings of the polygraph. Lastly, I studied, The Lie Detectors: The History of an American Obsession by historian Dr. Ken Alder published in 2007. All three books ultimately conclude that the polygraph has no scientific basis and people frequently fail the test while telling the truth. I wanted to read a current source supporting the polygraph with scientific evidence however; I could not find any at my library.

I was so angry that I “failed” this “test” that I wrote a letter to the RCMP and told them I wanted to be removed from the recruitment process, why would I want to work for someone who thinks I am a criminal? For god sakes if I was a criminal why would I want to work in the lions den!? Several weeks later they gave me a call to talk, I said why would I want to work for someone who thinks I am a liar? They said “fine that is your choice”… and that was that.

I am ultimately writing this for a few reasons I guess.

1.      To get it off my chest and put yet another story out there about how polygraphs do not work.
2.      To encourage anyone reading this to go to the library and research the polygraph. You don’t have to believe me or this website. Take 30 min at the library and you will see that the polygraph works about as well as flipping a coin…. Simply unbelievable but true. 

What I don't understand about the polygraph test is how an employer, such as a local police department, can hold anything against an applicant who researches the polygraph exam.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like most agencies and/or examiners will brand you a liar or a cheat for doing research on a test.  This is, of course, if you disclose the information to them prior to taking the polygraph examination.

I get the feeling that these individuals wouldn't appreciate being told how one could possibly fool the machine, and their profession.

You must be withholding information.  The machine doesn't lie.

You may be sitting there THINKING your telling the truth, but if the machine shows deception, well, then you must not be telling them everything they want to hear.

Any questions?

And don't bore me with the opinion of some rinky-dink entity like the "National Academy of Sciences", they're just a bunch of BIASED SCIENTISTS!

Sackett

P.S.  Based on my experience, false positives don't happen frequently enough to worry about it.  How do I know that?  Just TRUST ME, I know, I am a professional polygrapher

T.M. Cullen wrote on Feb 17^th, 2008 at 9:45am:


You don't know how many "fasle positives" there really are since, if the "machine" says your lying and there is no subsequent proof that your not, that test is considered accurate.

Trusting you because your a professional poligrapher is no reason to trust you.
You have trained for a few weeks to operate a machine that is scientifiacally unable to accualy do what is is supposed to do, that is unfortunatly used to mess up peoples lives.

HOW DO I KNOW??? TRUST ME I WAS A VICTIM OF A FALSE POSITIVE!!

T.M. Cullen wrote on Feb 17^th, 2008 at 6:27pm:


LOL LOL Hey Larry I got it NOW !! LOL.
I guess when I read it it sounded like something a poligrapher would say.

Oh I'm sorry Larry, I honestly thought you were serious! HA! 

To be honest that is pretty much how the polygraph examiner talked to me. Very rude, he had a high and mighty attitude and said all the negative things written about the polygraph were bullshit... at the time I hardly knew what he was talking about, since I had not researched the topic yet, only spent a few moments on this site. 

Sackett,

Have you ever "suckered" a test subject into making some minor admission so you could blow it all out of proportion to justify a "reaction" on your ouija board machine?

Your pattern of posting indicates that you have.  In additon, the pattern of bird droppings in my office parking lot show you are being deceptive.

So "come clean" and admit it.! 

Does it bother you that you may be victimizing innocent people in that way, while  the guilty go free?

Shame on you!

"Not everyone who reads this is focused enough to research the posting line to see that you were writing something as me, AS IF you could...  "

How does it feel to have you're reputation smeared unfairly, like polygraphers do on a regular basis.

My gosh, you guys squeal like "stuck pigs", when you get your own medicine!