Advice Please!!!

[Domino]

I recently became aware of your website Antipolygraph.org.  I found it to be very helpful, but I still have a few questions.  Before getting to my questions, it will be first necessary for me to explain my situation (please bear with me here).

Six months ago I went through police testing for a certain city.  170 applicants showed up for the testing, but the city only had two positions open.  I aced both the written and oral testing and made it into the polygraph round (I know my scores on the initial testing as someone in the department informed me).  During my polygraph testing I was a little nervous to say the least.  The polygrapher sat me down and we went through the whole initial pre-interview process where I spilled my guts to all his questions (this was before I read your website contents).  He never made me feel bad about anything that I had done in the past, but I still felt very uncomfortable.  We then went on to the actual polygraph test where he hooked me up to the machine and asked me a series of ten questions that he had picked out from the pre-interview/question session.  We went through the questions and I thought I had answered all of them honestly and truthfully.  This took about 15 minutes.  After this first round, he then came back and asked me what I was thinking during three of the questions.  The questions that he asked me about were as follows:

1.  Are you as truthful and honest as you claim to be?
(my answer:  yes)
2.  Would you ever lie to your best friend?
(my answer:  no)
3.  Besides the items that you have already discussed, have you ever stolen items that amount to more than $50?
(my answer:  no)

With respect to question #1, I said yes as I believed in my mind that I was hiding nothing...but I kept thinking over everything that I had told him making sure that I was not forgetting anything.  I told the polygrapher this and he said "okay."
With respect to question #2, I said no as I believed in my mind that my brother was my best friend.  I could not remember a time when I have ever lied to my brother, yet I had this feeling like maybe I was missing some specific time when I did lie to him about something minor...I could not remember any specifics.  I told the polygrapher this and he said "okay."
With respect to question #3, I said no because we had gone over all the materials that I had stolen when I was a child and could not think of anything else, but again, I kept thinking that maybe I had forgotten something.  Also, I knew that the materials were not worth any more than $50 in total value, but I had no idea how much they would be worth today...so these things led me to some hesitation.  I told the polygrapher this and he again said "okay."

After the polygraph was over, I kept asking him if I passed (I know now that I shouldn't have as it leads to doubt).  He said that if I was honest and truthful then I had nothing to worry about.  He lied.  About two weeks later after hearing nothing, I finally received a letter saying that after review of my polygraph by the review board, they cut me.  I called the person that I knew within the department and he/she said that they did not know about the polygraph as only the review board had access to the results.  In the end, I still don't know why they cut me specifically.  After reading "The Lie Behind The Lie Detector," I now realize that I should not have divulged as much information (making admissions) in the pre-interview/polygraph screen before taking the actual polygraph.  I also should have answered the control questions better.  But this is all in hindsight...however...

Next month I am scheduled to retake the police testing for this city as they are hiring again.  I want to be better prepared for the polygraph phase...hence, I read your website.  My problems are the following:
1.  The police department said during the testing that if anyone is cut from the process at any time, their records up to that point will be thrown away and he/she will have to start the process anew.  However, I have been recently informed that the department does indeed keep the records despite what they claimed.  So, when I retake the polygraph, they are going to have all the admissions that I made during the first polygraph test.  In sum, what should I do when I retake the polygraph (i.e., act like I never made any admissions during the first polygraph, or fess up to what I stated from the start)?
2.  The countermeasures you discuss puzzle me.  I thought that when a person was nervous or felt uncomfortable about something (i.e., maybe not telling the truth) that their physiological responses increased.  However, during the discussion of countermeasures, it says that one should attempt to increase their heart rate and blood pressure and increase or decrease their breathing pattern in various stated ways.  I guess I am confused at what to do.  Which is the right thing to do?  Should I try to increase my breathing during control questions as well as flex my sphinctor muscle to come up "truthful" on the polygraph?

It has been a lifelong dream of my to work for the law enforcement community, but I fear that if I do not get into one of these entry level positions as a patrol officer, I will never get the chance at bigger things like the FBI.  Thank you for your time and assistance.

[George W. Maschke]

Domino,

The three questions that your polygrapher reviewed with you between charts:

1.  Are you as truthful and honest as you claim to be?

2.  Would you ever lie to your best friend?

3.  Besides the items that you have already discussed, have you ever stolen items that amount to more than $50?

are all "control" questions. Some polygraphers "reinforce" the "control" questions between chart collections as a standard practice. A polygrapher could also do this if he wanted to help the subject pass the test: the theory being that questioning the subject about the "control" questions would help to sensitize the subject to them, and result in stronger physiological reactions to them when the next chart is collected.

You must bear in mind that the "test" is scored by comparing reactions to "control" questions to reactions to relevant questions. The key to passing is not to show no reaction to the relevant questions, but to show stronger reactions to the "control" questions. Read (or re-read) Chapter 3 of The Lie Behind the Lie Detector carefully; it's all explained there. (Chapter 4, on countermeasures, is of little value if you haven't first mastered the material in Chapter 3.)

With regard to your question about what admissions to make on your "re-test," that's a decision you'll have to make on your own. If you fail to mention admissions that the agency knows you previously made, however, it may hurt your chances of employment more than the admissions themselves.

With regard to your question about countermeasures, I suggest that you carefully re-read Chapter 4 of The Lie Behind the Lie Detector after reading Chapter 3. (Preferably download the PDF version, which is newer, rather than reading the older HTML version on-line.)

[treetop]

I once took a polygraph with a LE agency.  There was a post-test interrogation and I did write out a statement and sign it.  I stated the reason I thought I reacted to the question in "question" and now, in retrospect, I believe I had a decend excuse.  I was never told if I passed or failed.  I received a letter a few weeks later that stated that all the positions were filled and that I would remain on the hiring list for one year.  I still do not know if I passed or failed.  That was about 4 years ago.  I am about to take another polygraph with a different LE agency and I know that the polygrapher will ask me if I know anything about polygraphs and/or if I had taken one before.  Here is what I am planning on doing.  I will tell him that I took a polygraph about 4 years ago and passed it.  I will also tell him that I do not know haw the polygraph works other than it uses my heartrate to tell if I am lieing or not.  Do you think it well help put me appear honest in the polygraphers mind if I tell him that I had passed a polygraph in the past?  I would assume that if I were to tell him I failed or that I do not know if I passed of not, that he will assume that I may be more prone to being deceptive.  What do you think?