Warning

[PG-Govt]

Lorraine,

If you are contemplating the use of countermeasures on Monday, don't.

We will be watching.

[Sergeant1107]

Lorraine,

If you are contemplating the use of countermeasures on Monday, don't.

We will be watching.

What an Orwellian message!  I can only hope it was written tongue-in-cheek...

By the way, if countermeasures don't work, why would anyone care if they were used?  And if countermeasures such as thinking "exciting" thoughts or altering your breathing pattern can defeat any test, how valid could that test be?

[tasercop]

Because they are detectable and when you get caught, you are blacklisted for life.  True, some examiners can't pick them up, usually the old timers who are doing the same thing they did 30 years ago.  However, they are dying off and being replaced with much better educated examiners trained in countermeasure detection.  If I knew I was going to lie, for whatever reason, I would probably try countermeasures.  What would I have to lose?   But if the intent is to be truthful, there is no need to lie and using countermeasures to "help myself" is stupid and can easily end a promising career.

And yes Lorraine, when you are sitting in the chair, we are watching!

[Drew Richardson]

Tasercop,

Glad to see you made it back before I have to leave town for a couple of days.  With regard to ending promising careers, I would wager dollars to donuts that your profession ends (stops before they start) 100 or  more times (I realize there is no way to verify) the number of promising careers with false positive results than do innocent applicants who mis-apply countermeasures.  And sorry to rain on your parade, but just because you made it to 21st century polygraphy doesn't make you any more clairvoyant than the polygraphers of the past century.  Have a pleasant weekend...cheers

[Sergeant1107]

But if the intent is to be truthful, there is no need to lie and using countermeasures to "help myself" is stupid and can easily end a promising career.

Despite all the accounts on this message board relating how various people told the truth, did not attempt countermeasures, and still failed, you still have no difficulty advising people to be truthful?

I would have to respectfully ask how you can justify that.  Do you really believe that every person on this board who claims to have told the truth was actually lying?  Or do you believe that every person on this board with unfavorable reviews of polygraph examiners just happened to have a "bad" or "unprofessional" examiner?

I, as well as many others on this board, know I was truthful and still had the examiner look me in the eye and solemnly tell me they knew I was lying.  The examiner then reported to the agency I was applying to that I was lying, so it couldn't have simply been a bluff to get me to confess.

I am truly curious.  What makes you think the same thing won't happen to the next person who takes a polygraph?