My poly...so sad...

[Binky]

About a year ago, I took, and failed a polygraph exam for a medium sized PD. The format really didn't fit any descriptions listed on this site. Every question was rel. and irr. questions were not used. Here's a summary:

Every question began with; were you completely honest about:

Your alcohol usage
Your past illegal drug usage
Your financial history
Crimes you have committed and weren't caught
Criminal sex activity
Theft you have committed
Belonging to a group attempting to overthrough the government

There were a couple more that I can't remember, but they were similar.

It seems the examiner just compared all of the questions and accused me of lying on the questions that caused me to respond more. She even showed me the chart, I did see  the higher response on the two questions that she was concerned with. One was the sex question. No offense to her, but she was old enough to be my mother and I was very uncomfortable during the questioning about sex related issues. The other question was about my alcohol consumption. I explained to her during the interview that my family had a horrible history with alcoholism and that I don't touch it for that reason. She said I was lying on both questions.

Was this a "fair" way to administer a test?

Btw, six months later with a different PD, I took a standard rel./irr. poly and passed, I'm now working. I would've prefered the first PD however.

I can see the value of using the poly as a tool for interrogation, but not to eliminate an applicant who otherwise has a squeaky clean background. In fact, my BI couldn't believe I didn't get the job when I saw him at a highschool football game a few months ago..... He looked down at the ground and frowned when I asked him about my poly exam. He then said, "sorry man".

No offense to the people who make there money in this field, but I really feel I was treated unfairly.

Thanks

[Binky]

Correction, the poly for the PD I now work for used a relevant with control question format.

[George W. Maschke]

Binky,

You were indeed treated unfairly. Polygraph screening of any kind is completely invalid and without diagnostic value. But the technique you described (with all relevant questions) is widely discredited even amongst polygraphers themselves.

[Binky]

I'm really p***ed now! How can an agency throw away a good candidate based on testing that is not even standardized? I'm unbelievably upset. I wanted that PD since I was a kid. Since I'm employed I have no problem suing. Is that a viable option? Thanks

[George W. Maschke]

I certainly don't want to discourage you from pursuing legal action, but it would likely be a long and expensive process. You might want to seek a consultation with an attorney with experience in labor law on this.

Other things you could do include:

1) Provide a statement for inclusion on AntiPolygraph.org's Personal Statements page. You may do so anonymously if you wish.

2) Go public. Take you story to local television and radio news editors and to your local newspapers.

3) Help spread the truth about polygraphs. One simple way is to participate in AntiPolygraph.org's Campus Poster Initiative. See our Get Involved page for more ideas on how you can help put an end to polygraph screening.

[alterego1]

About a year ago, I took, and failed a polygraph exam for a medium sized PD. The format really didn't fit any descriptions listed on this site. Every question was rel. and irr. questions were not used. Here's a summary:

Every question began with; were you completely honest about:

Your alcohol usage
Your past illegal drug usage
Your financial history
Crimes you have committed and weren't caught
Criminal sex activity
Theft you have committed
Belonging to a group attempting to overthrough the government

This is probably irrelevant (pardon the pun  ) at this point, but are you sure your first test was indeed an entirely relevant question test??  The reason I bring this up is because one of the questions you mentioned ("Crimes you have committed and weren't caught") is a classic control question according to TLBTLD.  

Glad to hear you eventually found employment in law enforcement, regardless of the fact you had to settle for other than your first choice.  It looks like a lot of departments are throwing away some great candidates thanks to the poly.