I'm glad I found this site because I'm so upset about my polygraph experience and relieved to see that I'm not the only one who had a similar experience.  

I have been processing for 2 local police departments, one of which does CVSA and one does polygraph.  I took the CVSA and they asked me about the stress in my voice on one question that was a general question about being truthful about everything in the pre-test interview, etc.  I explained that I felt a little uneasy because the questions are phrased, "have you ever done this, excluding what we have every talked about."  I felt uneasy because I don't know if I included every time I was pulled over, or if I had taken something as a child or anything minor.  I knew I had never stolen something, never done drugs, nothing that should be of any consequence to my employment.  After I explained this, those administering the test seemed satisfied with my answer and said they would mail me the report.  I asked if the test was pass/fail in the sense that if you have stress in your voice one one question you fail altogether, she said no, it depended on how many times you had stress and the severity of the question, such as a drug question.  I'm still awaiting the results.  

Shortly after, I was up for the polygraph.  I didn't research it, I knew that it wasn't 100% accurate, but I didn't think that I had any reason to fear because I was going to answer truthfully..I had no criminal record, never stolen, used drugs, assaulted someone, etc.  Before starting the test, the operator told me that so much as moving my eyes could alter my results.  When the test first started with the "control questions," I explained that the armband was making me feel really uncomfortable.  My arm was getting purplish-blue, I felt dizzy.  I told her I always had a problem with this when getting my blood pressure taken at the doctor, it made me feel queasy.  She said it was as loose as it could be and I'd have to suck it up.  I went through the test barely listening to the questions because I was so uncomfortable.  She said my test results were being altered because I kept moving, although I barely moved, although I did move my eyes to look at my arm, OMG!!!  I was also told that I looked down and not straight ahead, which was altering my results.  I felt the same apprehension about the "have you ever" questions, but I felt like my answers were honest and I had admitted to anything I could think of pertaining to these questions.  

At the end of the test she told me this would be a huge waste of my time and hers if I didn't come clean.  She told me I was being deceptive and had stolen something, either from an employer or someone else.  She told me she knew I was lying.  I told her anything I could think of that would be bothering me but none of it was even stealing, maybe stuff like taking a pen from somewhere or whatever.  I just couldn't think of anything that I had ever stolen to answer that question.  I also explained that my CVSA test indicated no theft according to what I was told when I left the test that day, and she told me that CVSA was BS and that I hadn't even officially gotten my results back.  How funny that someone who operates one machine of pseudoscience criticizes another as being "BS."  I left the polygraph and she told me this would all go in my file that I was being deceptive about stealing something and my background investigator would have to decide what to do from there.  She said occasionally people come back for a retest.  

I couldn't believe what happened.  Here I thought I had been a good and decent person my whole life, sure I made mistakes and did things I wasn't proud of, but nothing that I could imagine would make me fail a polygraph.  And then to fail on questions that I couldn't even think of any possible answer for why I would fail.  The only thing I could even say to describe this situation is that it is heartbreaking, to try and be a good person your whole life and be proud of not having done things like drugs, or theft, or getting drunk, and then to have someone you don't even know tell you that you are a liar and that you are guilty of these things just because some crap machine made some squiggly line.  And knowing the whole time how uncomfortable I felt with the armband, how on earth can you detect truth when someone feels like they are going to pass out?  I took a few deep breaths to remain calm, would that make me look like a liar?  This is so ridiculous, and so upsetting.  I sympathize with anyone who went through the same thing.  

I would have told her to either loosen the cuff or end the test.  If she refused (after repeated requests), I'd have taken it off myself and gone immediately to the HR office to report it.  Might not get the job, but she'd probably never try that shit again.  Especially, if you followed it up with a lawsuit or threat of a lawsuit.

TC

I will describe my experience with a counter-intelligence scope polygraph taken in 2000.  After informing the polygrapher the blood pressure cuff was leaving a painful tingling sensation in my arm, he reconnected the cuff to my leg, and he was able to get a sufficient reading.

My opinion is that if some subjects are hypersensitive to the arm cuff, then all polygraphers should change the location to the less sensitive leg.  Stop accusing some subjects as being more hypersensitive than other subjects.

Regards,
Evan S

Reallymad wrote on Sep 26^th, 2008 at 7:45pm:


Hey reallymad,
Unfortunately, you find yourself in the same situation as many of us have. Being truthful, and still failing. 
The unfortunate reality though is, that you can go ahead and complain to whomever but,  I doubt it will do any good. 
You see once they have that reading both chart and verbal they are not so ready to rescind their findings since it would show the inherent weaknesses of their silly machine.
They much more prefer to loose a good candidate and move on to the next with no regard to the fact that they pinned you as a lier and thief with NO evidence other than the examiners opinion.
You do have a sympathetic ear here and you can help make a difference in the future. Stay tuned.