I am thinking about joining the LAPD. Unortunatly I have used drugs within my life time. I assume when I take the polygraph test I will be asked, "have you ever used drugs?" So my question is: If I say "yes" I have used drugs before, does that pretty much kill anyshot I have at being a police officer? If so, can I get in trouble for deliberatly lying about any questions asked? :-/
You will be asked as many as 25 questions or more related to your past drug use.
Simple experimintation (once or twice, but none recent or within the past year or two) will probably not DQ you. Anything more will.
And if you lie you will spike on the poly so don't bother trying that. Then you will be DQ forever with that agency because they will know you are a liar.
Actually, simply failing the LAPD polygraph does not result in a lifetime disqualification from employment (provided that no permanently disqualifying admissions are made). Pursuant to a proposal from Los Angeles Personnel Department General Manager Margaret Whelan dated 16 October 2001 (http://antipolygraph.org/documents/whelan-memo-16-10-01.shtml) that has since been adopted, LAPD applicants who fail to pass the polygraph but have made no disqualifying admission(s) may re-apply after one year.
Alley Viper,
Dont listen to no sugar coating - sound like a polygrapher to me.
Use the techniques as described in the "the Lie behind the lie detector"
My friends who have use countermeasures have all passed. Thats 1811 slots, State Patrol and Local PD.
When they offer you a control question jump at it. Breath harder and squeeze your cheeks (read the lie behind the lie detector for the actual process)
When they offered me a juicy control question I tried to define terms and meanings- my polygrapher just got pissed and we got into a long arguement. DONT DO THAT. Dont bite your own hand.
Show the proper response and use countermeasures.
Make no admissions at all.
You would not want to tell a Drill Instructor what he doesn't want to hear. Same idea with a polygrapher.
I took the LAPD poly. They asked about drugs. I told the truth- they said I lied. They asked about domestic violence. I told the truth- they said I lied.
The polygrapher told me I failed. When I called personel, they told me I got a no opinion. It was the polygrapher that lied.
They will try everything. When my polygrapher returned from scoring the results, (taking a piss)he opened the door slightly, pretending to talk to someone down the hall. He said,"I dont know maybe we will have to arrest him!" I didn't fall for his bad acting. When he turned around, walked into the room and stared at me, I just sat there looking fat, dumb and happy.
I know that it seems ridciulous but to prove your honest you have to lie (show a reaction). Its unfortunate but it is a fact. I certainly wont forget what happened to me when I sit on a jury and have to hear a 'police expert' testify. They dont realize that their undermining public faith in law enforcement or maybe they just dont care.
Either way - dont let them screw you and dont screw your self-