Why do I need this manual?
   Do I have to take a polygraph test to get this job?
  Why do agencies use polygraph?
  I’ve been scheduled for a voice stress analysis. Is that the same as polygraph?
  How is this manual different than all the other information available?
  Law Enforcement Hiring Trends in the 21st Century

Why do I need this manual?

This manual contains all the information you will need to study and prepare for your pre-employment polygraph exam. No where else will you find such detailed information, written specifically for this purpose by a practicing polygraph professional. You will learn how to avoid the simple mistakes that disqualify qualified applicants!  TOP

Do I have to take a polygraph test to get this job?

The use of polygraph is regulated by the Federal Employee Polygraph Protection Act which prohibits most employers from requiring or even requesting pre-employment polygraph examinations. California Labor Code (432.2) also prohibits the use of pre-employment polygraph examinations. However, there are some exclusions from these regulations, law enforcement being one of them.

 

In California a city, county, or other agency can REQUIRE any applicant to take a pre-employment polygraph test if, when hired, that person would have access to confidential information. This exclusion most obviously applies to sworn law enforcement officers and dispatchers. Some agencies have applied this exclusion to fire fighters, clerks, administrative support, janitors, and even volunteers.

 

If an agency does have a polygraph requirement in place then refusal to take the exam will result in your disqualification.

 

Polygraph tests can also be required for lateral applicants. At some agencies polygraphs are required of current employees before special assignments (i.e. vice, narcotics, etc...). More and more fire departments are requiring pre-employment polygraphs of their fire fighter applicants. TOP

Why do agencies use polygraph?

Honesty and integrity are fading qualities in today’s society; few role models exhibit these qualities. As a law enforcement officer you are granted the authority to deny a person their civil rights. No one else has such authority and no other right is so protected by our citizens. Agencies are held accountable for what type of individuals they allow to hold those positions. Many states require that departments conduct a background investigation and/or psychological exam. However, some information may not come up in a background investigation, especially if an individual has concealed information, thus the need for “lie detection” methods.

 

Honesty and integrity are the most closely examined characteristics during the background investigation and especially at the polygraph. Unknown to you is that some honest mistake you may have made or can make may cause you to look less than honest. This guide will help you prevent and/or fix those mis-perceptions. TOP

I’ve been scheduled for a voice stress analysis. Is that the same as polygraph?

Although the two technologies are very different, the information in this manual applies to both polygraph and voice stress. Everything that a polygraph examiner would do, up until the point the test is actually given, is the same as what a voice stress examiner would do.

 

The two technologies, when grouped together, are often referred to as “Detection of Deception” (DOD) techniques. The term “lie detector” is the common or layman’s term for polygraph. Voice stress technology makes a distinction between detecting lies and verifying the truth and thus go by the phrase “truth verification” rather than lie detector.

 

Polygraph literally means “many writings”. A polygraph is an instrument which measures and records: blood pressure, heart rate, breathing and perspiration (galvanic skin response). A polygraph can either be analog or computerized.

 

When a person tells a lie their body undergoes certain physiologically changes. Most often there will be an alteration in their breathing, an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, and blood volume, and they will begin to sweat more.

 

Voice Stress Analysis is a newer technology than polygraph. It began in the 1970’s as psychological stress evaluator. Voice Stress Analysis assumes that a person becomes stressed when telling a lie and that stress is reflected in changes in the amplitude of the voice. This technology attempts to measure those changes in amplitude to determine truth. Voice Stress Analysis can also come in analog or computer form.

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How is this manual different than all the other information available?

Other guides claims to be written by individuals who used to be polygraph examiners but have “lost faith” in the technology. What amazes me most is that at least some of the information published by these “former polygraph examiners” IS WRONG! Some information is better than others, but if even one piece of information is wrong, or you mis-employ the information given, you will BE CAUGHT trying to “sting” or beat the polygraph. When caught using any type of countermeasure you will automatically FAIL the test as it is presumed that you would only try to “sting” the polygraph if you had something significant to hide.

 

This manual differs significantly from other information out there in that it does NOT teach you how to beat or “sting” the polygraph. It is a study and preparation guide written by a practicing polygraph examiner. Among other things you will learn what to expect during the test, what is acceptable and what is not, and how to deal with nervousness. TOP

Law Enforcement Hiring Trends in the 21st Century

According to the Bureau of Labor Statics, law enforcement jobs will increase by 25+% over the next seven years.

 

Due to population trends (decreases in the population of the 20-30 year olds) and increases in the number of officers retiring, most law enforcement agencies have been in a hiring deficit for several years now.

 

You may wonder how this can be true when you show up for a written test at a large agency, along with 2,000 other applicants for 200 positions. What you may not know is that only one out of every 10-20 of those individuals will make it through all of the testing. Once you get through the initial testing (usually a written, oral, and/or physical ability test) to the polygraph exam, you have narrowed down the competition from 10-20 individuals to only 3-5 individuals. However, the polygraph is one of the biggest “weeding out” tests given. Depending upon the department and tests gone through so far, the polygraph will eliminate 30-60% of applicants (that’s 1-2 out of every three individuals). This manual can help you SIGNIFICANTLY improve your chances of getting through the pre-employment polygraph examination.

 

In 2000 PERS (Public Employees Retirement System) authorized an increase in retirement benefits which many departments have implemented. This means that a large portion of current law enforcement officers and administrators will be retiring, not only increasing the number of new officers needed but increasing promotional opportunities at departments that implement this. A veteran officer who applies for a promotion at another agency CAN BE REQUIRED to take a pre-employment polygraph exam.

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