posted 12-28-2003 03:59 PM         

Last week, I did a test on a guy who passed the arresting department's CVSA,(showing "no stress"). He failed my polygraph and admitted to child molestation.

My question(s)are:

(1).Is this happening to any of you!

(2).Are you sharing this information with somebody like Brian English(Backster School of Lie Detection) who is leading the fight against CVSA?

(3).Does this create any heat between you and the agency that used the CVSA?

Your comments are really appriciated.

Ted

posted 12-29-2003 09:35 AM            

here in Missouri, CVSA is widely used by many departments, much of this is due to sales techniques and packaging by the CVSA company, coupled with the lack of qualified examiners. The fact is, many departments here simply do not care what they use, if it gives them their desired results. Successes are touted with much fanfare while defeats are secreted away.

I am aware of a couple of department who have relied on CVSA for everything (pre-employment, criminal and IAU), then will turn to polygraph when CVSA "fails" them.

I don't know of any specific animosity between departments or operators/examiners, but have been told by a couple of applicants having testing elswhere with CVSA that the new catch phrase amungst CVSA operators is that polygraph is old, antiquated and completely unreliable due to the "how to beat the test" web-sites, etc and CVSA is unbeatable.

On a side note, a personal friend of mine took a CVSA several years ago for a sheriff dept and afterwards called to tell me he lied his butt off, and they passed him. I have no confidence, but I am but a small voice in the wilderness.

I personally would like to see a more active depromotion of CVSA, if for no other reason than to get it off the same table polygraph resides. It is a great parlour trick, but lie detection/polygraph, it is not.

Professionally,

posted 12-29-2003 04:59 PM         

To my knowledge, I have not encountered this situation. That aside, I congratulate you on your outstanding work on those two cases. First and foremost, you helped clear an innocent man. Secondly, you helped another man confess to acts of child molestation.

I realize you didn't post your above message seeking congratulatory remarks, but I felt it was worth mentioning. Well done. Have a great, healthy, and safe New Year.

Ned

posted 12-30-2003 12:13 PM           

I think the cvsa is really just an interview prop. Most of the cvsa "examiners" I know say it helps them get confessions, that's all they care about.

My only concern is that they don't ever confuse polygraph with cvsa. What we do is far more than just establish an interview prop, our instrument actually works!

posted 12-30-2003 05:50 PM         

I can't disclose names or the agency(s) involved because neither case has gone to trial yet. Once I get the OK, I will send copies of the reports to Brian English with the names ect. darked out. I am sure Brian will post the info!

PS: Thanks for the kind words Ned!

Ted