Question about the polygraph

[Wisbith]

I was discussing the police polygraph exam with my parents and my father mentioned that they give you a list of questions that they are going to ask, before they ask them. Is there any truth to this statement? Do they want you to think about it, or do they want to catch you off guard?

[mobrien316]

I was discussing the police polygraph exam with my parents and my father mentioned that they give you a list of questions that they are going to ask, before they ask them. Is there any truth to this statement? Do they want you to think about it, or do they want to catch you off guard?

You won't be surprised by any new questions during the exam itself. All the questions you will be asked when you are hooked up to the polygraph will be gone over thoroughly before you are hooked up to the polygraph.

[manahmanah]

Usually they'll sit down with you for about an hour and ask you a bunch of questions based off of your background packet. Then they have their own list of questions and they usually ask you about 12-15. They'll tell you which ones they're gonna ask so there are no surprises.

[Wisbith]

Thanks! You guys are a bunch of help. It's a lot easier to ask here then it is to have to wait until a ride along then drill the officer with a load of questions.

[retdetsgt]

As far as I know, the only ones who do the rambling polygraph interrogation is the FBI and the military.:rolleyes:

[Wisbith]

They probably do it solely for their own amusement. :p

[retdetsgt]

They probably do it solely for their own amusement. :p

I wouldn't give them that much credit. I don't think they know any better. A number of years ago, my brother was an armored company CO in Germany. One of his tank drivers rolled a tank. The really bad news was they had a kerosene heater in the tank at the time and it was on which was against regs. The kerosene spilled, the inside of the tank burned and the soldiers inside were killed.

He was called back to Washington and put on the box. Instead of doing it right, they started a full interrogation, occasionally looking at the graph and calling him a liar. There is no way they could tell squat like that. He finally lost it, ripped off the sensors and told them to stuff it. He returned to Germany and finished his career, eventually getting promoted a couple of more times. :rolleyes:

[Wisbith]

Well that is horrible to hear a man died, but they probably should of conducted their investigation a little better. Any who, thanks for the insight.

[Kimble]

As far as I know, the only ones who do the rambling polygraph interrogation is the FBI and the military.:rolleyes:

Can't speak for the Bureau, but at least for the military and other DoD components it's not as easy to utilize the polygraph as it once was. They can't be used as "screening tools" or used for "witch hunts" like they were decades ago. For criminal investigations, it was far easier to get someone to be hooked up to the box at my two previous local departments than it has been for the DoD agency I currently work for (we need HQ approval to do it).

[retdetsgt]

Can't speak for the Bureau, but at least for the military and other DoD components it's not as easy to utilize the polygraph as it once was.

Like most good investigative tools that are lost, it was probably because of that kind of abuse. They probably used it that way one too many times to the wrong guy and it was taken away.

[Wisbith]

Isn't the polygraph only 95 - 90% accurate?

[retdetsgt]

Isn't the polygraph only 95 - 90% accurate?

If that. It's a very useful investigative tool, but there's good reason it isn't allowed in court.

[Plazoo]

Isn't the polygraph only 95 - 90% accurate?

I wouldn't even say it's that good. Like I've said on here before, I've taken a few polys in my day, gave the same answers on each one and I failed two of them.

That said, I think they are effective tools even if they are a total pain in the rump.