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Topic summary

Posted by George W. Maschke
 - Apr 03, 2007, 01:23 AM
If a section of the city government were being audited, one would expect to be approached by an accountant asking to see your books, not a detective asking you to take a polygraph "test." It seems clear that there is a criminal investigation underway. Polygraph testing has no scientific basis, and as used in criminal investigations is often merely a pretext for interrogating a suspect without a lawyer present. It was indeed a mistake to agree to the polygraph, but assuming this is a criminal, and not an administrative investigation, you can (and should) refuse. (Because the Employee Polygraph Protection Act specifically excludes federal, state, and local government from its purview, in many cases government employees may be forced to submit to polygraph testing in administrative inquiries.)

I think it would be wise to consult a lawyer regarding your legal options. For a foretaste of what to expect should you, if asked, decide to go through with a polygraph interrogation, see Chapter 3 of The Lie Behind the Lie Detector.
Posted by calo
 - Apr 03, 2007, 12:04 AM
I was visited at home recently by a detective regarding my employment for the city which the detective represents. He had a load of questions regarding my employment and if I had ever seen people take money, etc, etc... Apparently that section of the city is being audited – at least that's what he stated and that no one was getting into trouble and that it wasn't being made into a federal case. At one point he asked me if I was willing to take a polygraph test and I said sure. He then said that they would speak with the higher ups to see where this matter was going because they were talking with a lot of the people who worked there. Once speaking with the higher ups, if a polygraph was needed he'd call to set it up. Should I have said yes? I know of a lot of bad accounting practices done by the administration at this place and I told him, pretty much spoke with him for an hour and answered every question he asked me. So I am curious what should I do regarding this? I have no idea about polygraph tests, etc and just found this site.