I apologize if some of this is repetitive - it is a combination of some of my posts on other threads and simply serves to help further explain my experience. As we all know, people can “fail” the polygraph for several reasons. These are called false positives, and happen at a rate of 10-50%, depending on who you ask. The point is, it is an indisputable fact that there are an infinite number of reasons that can cause ones physiological reactions to mimic what is termed the “lie reaction.” In my case, I was clinically diagnosed with an anxiety disorder – a disorder that was exacerbated by being forced to undergo five polygraph interrogations in three years. Conducting a polygraph examination on an individual with a psychological disability is illegitimate. Punishing that individual based solely on those ill-gotten results is obvious discrimination. My first polygraph session lasted for about three hours, and resulted in a score of “No Opinion”. Throughout that session, the interrogator/polygrapher would stop the “test”, and say that he was seeing “something”. He told me that it involved the question related to handling classified information. He said that he was seeing “signs” that something was bothering me - maybe it didn’t even have anything to do with the question. Maybe I was gay, or I was cheating on my wife, or maybe I did drugs. He suggested all kinds of horrible things, and said if I just told him about it, we could get past it and get the test over with. I told him about our office’s sometimes confusing policies on handling classified information - he said that wasn’t it. I was called back two days later. I already knew which question was causing me to react excessively, and I couldn’t do anything about it. This time they were ready for me. They even used a good guy/bad guy approach, telling me that if I would just confess to whatever it was that was bothering me, we could be finished. I told him more details of how I was tasked to move, or remove classified media from different classified systems – often not knowing if what I was doing was approved or not. Once again, he said that wasn’t it, and that I needed to come clean with him. This is a very important point - once they tell you that you are reacting “deceptively” to a question, it is virtually impossible to not, not react again the next time. This is the fear reaction that Dr. Richardson knew so much about. Because of my anxiety disorder, I was overwhelmed with fear. Fear of failure. When the failure will result in terrifying consequences, this “fear reaction” is intensified. Once I was accused, it was impossible for me to suppress that reaction. This fear reaction is fraudulently being labeled as a lie reaction. Once again, I was judged as “No Opinion”. 10 months later, I was summoned to HQ DIA for another round of questions and interrogations, followed by more polygraph. My anxiety was out of control from the moment I was notified of the trip to DC. Predictably, I “failed” miserably, had a nervous breakdown, and was judged “Significant Response”. I returned to work and continued as if nothing happened until five months later. I was summoned once again to appear for more questions and interrogations, followed by more polygraph examinations. I have no idea how, but this time the examination was judged “No Opinion”. Again, I returned to work without any restrictions. Two years and two months later, after recently having been stripped of my clearance and physically removed from my workspace, I was sent again to DC. I was told that if I could “pass” this time, everything would return to normal and I could go back to work. If I “failed”, I would be forever banished, labeled a vulnerability to security, and forced to relocate to an unclassified position in DC. My fear of failing was overwhelming, as my career, my reputation and my life were on the line. They brought in all their “experts” trying to get me to crack – the problem was, I had nothing to confess – other than what I had already told them. Well, I “failed” miserably and had another nervous breakdown. Immediately after the session, I was taken to see two DIA psychologists who talked me down. Ultimately, I acquired PTSD from the inescapable and unavoidable abuse, and was disabled retired from federal service. So far, I’ve been unsuccessful in getting the Department of Labor to pay for my medical bills and medications – ironically, because senior officials have lied to investigators and federal judges. They have also perjured themselves in interrogatories, testimonies and affidavits by saying either they didn’t know of my disabilities, or that no regulations or policies were violated. It is reprehensible that we permit a policy that condones using the polygraph results by themselves, to rule against, or to penalize anyone. Especially, when there are approved and relevant regulations that prohibit doing so in the first place. It is a pernicious form of abuse to impugn ones character, to label them untrustworthy and a vulnerability. I worked 35 years in the IC without a single security related incident – if they can do this to me, they can do it to anyone. Now is the time to stop the fraud, waste and abuse known as the polygraph. Let’s all work together to remove the government’s exemption to use this scientifically unreliable polygraph test to punish, abuse or judge an otherwise innocent individual. #stoppolygraphabuse #EPPAforall
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