Polygraph

[icp1327]

Hello all I have a question about the polygraph test that most departments give. What are some of the questions? Why do they do this?

I have a clean background...when it comes to drugs I have not touched them, I have only seen marijuania once other than in training environments.

I did do alot of stupid things as a teen and then straightned my life around.

I am am going to be totally honest in any interview, no matter the questions because there is one thing I will not sacrifice and that is my integrity. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I lied.

Any help will be appriciated.

[Holltim4103]

First question on the polygraph for me was if I ever asked anyone for the questions they were asked on the polygraph.

Just relax, it was no big deal. I had no problems with it. Yeah, it was scary with all the gadgets they hook up to you, but if you tell the truth you will do fine.

[gotthblues]

First question on the polygraph for me was if I ever asked anyone for the questions they were asked on the polygraph.
.
hahah ,, that was so wrong, :D

[icp1327]

I didn't mean to ask for specifics...I should have been clearer and proof read what I was writing. I was wondering what it intalls I guess.

[MountainCop]

Hello all I have a question about the polygraph test that most departments give. What are some of the questions? Why do they do this?

I have a clean background...when it comes to drugs I have not touched them, I have only seen marijuania once other than in training environments.

I did do alot of stupid things as a teen and then straightned my life around.

I am am going to be totally honest in any interview, no matter the questions because there is one thing I will not sacrifice and that is my integrity. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I lied.

Any help will be appriciated.

As someone who has gone through many of them, and a lot tougher ones than you will go through, I can give you only one piece of advice - BE HONEST.

I will not tell you what they will ask. That defeats the purpose. But you can assume they probably already know the answers! The background investigation is probably already done.

A polygraph examination is only one facet of the process. It measures your physiological reaction to a question. Do not let the process spook you. If you've been honest about your background, you will not have a problem.

Best of luck!

[MountainCop]

hahah ,, that was so wrong, :D

Yeah, but it was VERY good!

[LawEnfWB]

If you

[Centraldep15]

The first time I took the Polygraph, I told an agency about an experimentation with a hard drug. I won't get into details about the experimentation, but it was nothing. Believe me, "Nothing". However, they made me out to be some bad guy. Ok, the polygraph is a unique machine. But if you have a high anxiety, you give off a deceptive response and they will treat you like poop. The best advice I can give you is to be honest, but think before you speak. Personally, I think the Polygraph is a piece of junk when it comes to pre-employment screening. It's basically another tool to weed people out. Again, think before you speak. It almost cost me my career twice. Fortunately, my investigator went the extra mile to prove it wrong. Now I've been a cop for almost 10 years and doing great.

[exilio]

Hello all I have a question about the polygraph test that most departments give. What are some of the questions? Why do they do this?

I have a clean background...when it comes to drugs I have not touched them, I have only seen marijuania once other than in training environments.

I did do alot of stupid things as a teen and then straightned my life around.

I am am going to be totally honest in any interview, no matter the questions because there is one thing I will not sacrifice and that is my integrity. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I lied.

Any help will be appriciated.

There is nothing wrong with mentioning what type of questions are asked on a polygraph. So here are some tips.

1) It is a machine..nothing more. The real detector is the operator.

2) Be truthful. Both with yourself and the examiner.

3) With #2 in mind, Stick to your guns. If, for whatever reason, the examiner says to you: "I got a reaction to drug use...", this is not the time to go: "weeeeell, one time I...". Stop. You're dead. Stick to your guns and just let them know you have been 100% honest.

4) How it usually works:

a) You will be interviewed and asked a series of questions based on an extensive (20-35 pages) background package you complete and handed in. i.e. Have you ever stolen? Have you lied at all about your background? Have you lied during this examination? Have you ever been fired? Besides the firings you have mentioned, is there any more? Etc, etc.

b) You will also be asked by some departments unsavory and uncomfortable questions known as "Undetected Crimes", or criminal acts you may have committed, or charged with. i.e. Have you ever view child pornography? Have you ever robbed someone? Have you ever raped someone? Etc, etc.

There are a great many tactics an examiner employs to "detect" your truthfulness in answering these questions. It is to your benefit to be honest at all stages of the process.

Now, with all this being said, there is one caveat: Some liars pass, while some honest people don't. That's right. Why? Because, if you have no conscience, and you are basically a pathological liar, than your body will not typically betray your lies. Whereas honest people, have consciences that bother them and might have reactions to a question that appear as a lie, but in fact are not. This is the essence of why polygraphs are NOT admissible in court.

If you have been honest so far, and have nothing to hide, then you shouldn't stress. It will make things even worse on the day of your poly. It's a necessary hoop to jump through.

Good luck.

[Old Dog]

Like I have always told my troops and as mountaincop said, be honest and NEVER lie.

We can deal with anything except a lie (and maybe a felony here and there).

You will probably not tell the "polygrapher" anything he/she hasn't already heard a thousand times before.

No matter how embarassing or how humiliating, don't lie!

Polygraphers could write some of the best selling "Tell All" novels and probably make a mint with all the cop-crap that's been shoveled in their offices.

Tell the truth!!!!!!!!!

[George Maschke]

Hello all I have a question about the polygraph test that most departments give. What are some of the questions? Why do they do this?

icp1327,

Polygraph examinations include three main categories of questions: relevant, control, and irrelevant. The relevant questions are the ones they really care about, and generally relate to illegal drug use and undetected major crimes. Federal law enforcement agencies also include relevant questions concerning national security issues. The control questions are ones to which all examinees -- even ones the department would like to hire -- are secretly expected to lie (or at least to have considerable doubt about the truthfulness of their answers). Examples of commonly used probable-lie control questions include, "Did you ever lie to get out of trouble?" and "Did you ever take anything of value from an employer?" The third category are irrelevant questions, such as "Are you wearing shoes?" or "Are the lights on in this room?" The examiner falsely explains that these questions provide the baseline for truth, because the true answer is obvious. However, they are not scored at all and merely serve as buffers between pairs of relevant and control questions.

The test is scored by comparing reactions to the relevant questions with corresponding reactions to the control questions. If the reactions to the relevants are greater, the examinee fails. If the reactions to the controls are greater, he passes. If reactions are about the same, it is scored as inconclusive.

You'll find specific examples of the kinds of questions asked in the Department of Defense Polygraph Insitute's Law Enforcement Pre-Employment Test examiner's guide (http://antipolygraph.org/documents/dodpi-lepet.pdf). A listing of the questions used by the Los Angeles Police Department is available here (http://antipolygraph.org/cgi-bin/forums/YaBB.pl?board=Proc;action=display;num=1129089368).

The polygraph is used by many agencies to weed out unqualified applicants. Faced with the seemingly all-powerful polygraph, some applicants make disqualifying admissions, saving the agency the expense of conducting a background check. Any yet there is broad consensus amongst scientists that polygraph testing has no scientific basis (http://antipolygraph.org/articles/article-018.shtml). Many law enforcement applicants end up being falsely accused of deception and wrongly disqualified. Many agencies, including the FBI and LAPD, have polygraph failure rates of about 50%. Fortunately, your state, Oregon, has a complete ban on polygraph screening (though it doesn't apply to federal agencies within the state).