Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

I am going through the process of applying to a large police department and I have been informed that there will be a polygraph test.

I by all means want to tell the 100% truth, but I have a very serious flaw.

I spent four years in the Marine Corps, and after returning from first deployment to Iraq, I got really drunk out in town and hired a prostitute.

This is probably my biggest regret in life and I have many goals I wish to achieve. I want to work for this police department, then finish my bachelors and go on to federal law enforcement.

I guess what I'm wanting to know is if I've completely screwed myself by this poor life choice, because I have researched common questions on a polygraph test and one of the major trends seems to be, "have you committed a crime that was undetected?" To which, my answer will be yes.. because of this.

Could anyone give me some insight?

Tell the operator about it before the test. I've been in a war zone and wouldn't want to work for a department so hardnosed they wouldn't overlook that. Thanks for your service and good luck. And seriously, tell the operator so you don't show up as deceptive.

The poly is not about WHAT you did....its about if you appear deceptive or not. WHAT you did gets forwarded to the background investigator for review. It is their deciison. Poly is only about if you showed any signs of deception. If you don't intent to lie, the poly won't be an issue for you.