Monday, June 29, 2009

Polygraph in the News - 6/29/2009

The following are article(s) in which Polygraph is playing an important role in the World. (Article descriptions are mine)

** Please note that many news sources archive/move their articles after a certain period of time. If a story link no longer works, this may be what happened.



  • I previously referenced an article about Georgia Politician Gary Horlacher taking a polygraph test regarding being an honest politician and his challenge to other politicians to do likewise. I ran across this great cartoon showing what it might look like if politicians were required to be tested. If only...


Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Polygraph in the News - 6/23/2009

The following are article(s) in which Polygraph is playing an important role in the World. (Article descriptions are mine)

** Please note that many news sources archive/move their articles after a certain period of time. If a story link no longer works, this may be what happened.


  • A Portland Police Officer is charged with a combined 84 counts of misconduct, telephonic harrassment and menacing. The chief of police is calling to begin pre-employment polygraph testing for new officers. Don't know if they have in-house examiners, but it might be worthwhile for Oregon Examiners to follow this story for possible independent contract offerings.
    http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_062209_news_officer_wild_polygraph.17d10a1b.html
  • Indianapolis Police Department includes polygraph testing as part of its new "Integrity Program" to help re-establish public trust following several scandals. The polygraph policy is part of a general order that took effect in December requiring random testing of 10 percent of sworn and civilian employees in sensitive units each month. Questions are limited to activity in the previous 12 months, with exam results hand-delivered to IMPD's chief. The test can't be used as the sole basis for reassignment.
    http://www.indystar.com/article/20090620/LOCAL18/906200445/1195/LOCAL18/IMPD+regaining+trust+with+integrity+program
  • Tampa Pastor fails polygraph, but denies sexual molestation charges. Video Below. (Due to technical conflicts with newer video stories, this video has been removed.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Polygraphists. Do you conduct at least one private polygraph test per year?

If you are able to conduct at least one private test a year, then you are shooting yourself in the foot if you do not have at least one basic listing in the Polygraph Place Search Engine that averages more than 30,000 unique visitors every month.

What examiners are saying:
"Ralph and Nadine,

I wanted to drop you a line to tell you that since I began advertising with The Polygraph Place, my polygraph business has seen a huge increase in calls, especially over the past year. I am located in Knoxville, Tennessee and my business, prior to advertising with The Polygraph Place was limited to advertising in and around the metropolitan area. The advertising was expensive (especially the Yellow Pages) and nothing other than word of mouth seemed to bring in calls for polygraph examinations. As soon as I placed my advertising with The Polygraph Place, the next week brought three new polygraph examinations and it has paid big dividends since that time. The Polygraph Place also provided advertising coverage throughout Tennessee that was previously impossible. I have developed a great appreciation for Internet advertising and it is apparent that many of my polygraph clients have found it easy to find me through The Polygraph Place.Dollar for Dollar, it has been the best advertising medium I have found so far. Keep up the good work."

Richard F. Qulia - Knoxville, TN. - View my listing on The Polygraph Place
Hi Ralph,

I wanted to say hello and let you know although business is slow your web-site continues to give me hope and calls. I still average at least 2 calls a week. I hope you are doing well. Thanks for all of your efforts with helping us examiners to keep our business alive and hopefully growing when the slow down passes.

Candace Bavetta - La Crescenta, CA. - View my listing on The Polygraph Place

How much is a basic listing?
Only $25 once a year.

How do I register a basic listing?
Just visit the SECURE sign-up page, fill out the registration form and you'll be listed in a matter of minutes.

Questions?
Call Ralph or Nadine @ 770.794.1325 or email detector@polygraphplace.com

In memory of James Carl Davis - Mississippi Polygraph Examiner

We received the news only recently of the passing of Jim Davis at age 63. The following is a snapshot of his life provided by Jim's wife Linda Davis. I will miss seeing Jim cruise around and chat it up at the APA seminar. Goodbye my friend.


James Carl Davis, Major, United States Army Retired

Major James Davis, 63, died Thursday, 21 August 2008, at Baptist Medical Center in Jackson, MS. A memorial was held Sunday, 24 August 2008, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Ott & Lee Funeral Home, 1360 West Government Street, Brandon, MS, 601-824-6018.

Following the memorial, his friends and loved ones met in celebration of his life at the Tex Mex Café, 5352 Lakeland Drive, Flowood, MS, 601-992-8818.

Major Davis began working in law enforcement and administration with the Rhea County, Tennessee’s Sheriff Department in the early sixties. After entering the military service as a private he served in Korea as a tank crew member, and on return to the US as a unit clerk, legal clerk, missile crew member and various other positions. Attending officer candidate schools in the late sixties, he was then commissioned as a second lieutenant and served as an armored calvary platoon leader, troop commander and the squadrons’ adjutant. Major Davis then served back to back tours in Vietnam where he was a tank platoon leader, battalion adjutant and operations officer. On return to the US he served as company commander and battalion executive officer. After the military services’ personnel draw down at the end of the Vietnam conflict and their subsequent reduction in force, Major Davis served as an acting Chief of Police for the City of Woodville and a Deputy Sheriff for Tyler County, Texas. He subsequently served as a police officer for the City of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. After being requested by DCS Personnel of US Army Forces Command to return to active service with the army as a mobilization plans officer, Major Davis subsequently became the chief of a personnel planning section for mobilization planning at a major US army headquarters. He then served as an executive officer, strength management officer and special assistant to the commanding general at USAR Command. Over his career Major Davis was the recipient of four presidential awards and numerous service medals and foreign decorations, including the US Army Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster, US Department of Defense Purple Heart Medal, US Department of Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and US Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster. He retired in 1984.

Entering the private sector as a consultant based in Bangkok, Thailand he did extensive work for various private law firms and businesses in the US and overseas. Major Davis returned to the federal government in 1987 when he was appointed as a civilian confidential assistant to a senior member of the office of the president in the Reagan and Bush administrations. Retiring a second time in 1991, Major Davis became the professional standards officer for the Slidell, Louisiana Police Department and was the key member of the Office of the Chief of Police for policy and procedures. He subsequently served the Sheriff of Pearl River County Mississippi in a similar position.

More recently, Major Davis attended the Virginia School of Polygraph of Norfolk, Virginia, where he received extensive education and training in the methodology and application of the polygraph. He subsequently successfully completed specialized education as a Post Convicted Sexual Offender Testing Examiner at the Academy for Scientific Investigative Training in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He then served as the Polygraph Examiner for the Philadelphia Mississippi Police Department, the Winston County Sheriff’s Office, and provided private polygraphs through Jim Davis & Associates Polygraph Services.

Born in St Louis, Missouri, Major Davis spent his childhood with his grandparents in a East Tennessee farming community. Major Davis completed high school at the United States Armed Forces Institute, Tokyo, Japan; he subsequently majored in sociology and graduated from Saint Leo College, Saint Leo, Florida; and The University of the State of New York at Albany. He also attended William Carey College at Hattiesburg, Mississippi, University of Maryland and the University of Kentucky. He has also completed an extensive number of specialized United States Government and military service school courses and various other technical courses.

He is survived by his wife of over 30 years, Linda L. Coston Davis, formerly of the Stann Creek District, Belize, a lawyer and special assistant attorney general with the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office; two grown children by a previous marriage Stephanie Davis Smith and James Glenn Davis; one grandchild, Jacob C. Davis; his uncle, George R. Davis; his sister, Janey Reed James; and his brothers, Terry F. Reed and Larry W. Reed.

Polygraph in the News - 6/19/2009

The following are article(s) in which Polygraph is playing an important role in the World. (Article descriptions are mine)

** Please note that many news sources archive/move their articles after a certain period of time. If a story link no longer works, this may be what happened.


Thursday, June 18, 2009

Ideal Timing? - Upcoming 40Hr. and 16Hr. Advanced Training for Post Conviction Sex Offender Testing (PCSOT)

  • Have you been waiting for the right time to get your 40 hour PCSOT Training Certification?
  • Do you already have the basic PCSOT Training, but want an advanced refresher course that includes the 2009 APA Model Policy for PCSOT?
  • Maybe you don't have quite enough PCSOT or other continuing education credit hours for your membership renewal?
Here are two upcoming PCSOT courses that may be just the right time and place for you.

40 HOUR ADVANCED POLYGRAPH TRAINING for the Identification, Treatment and Monitoring of Sex Offenders

  • When?- July 27 - July 31st, 2009
  • Where? - Lafayette, Indiana
  • Who? - American International Institute of Polygraph in conjunction with Lafayette Instrument Company
  • What? - Receive 40 Hours of continuing education credits - American Polygraph Association Recognition testing for APA members
More Information and Registration for 40 HR. course (INDIANA)


16 HOUR ADVANCED PCSOT POLYGRAPH TRAINING for the Identification, Treatment and Monitoring of Sex Offenders

  • When? - August 14 - 15, 2009
  • Where? - Atlanta, Georgia (Morrow)
  • Who? - American International Institute of Polygraph
  • What? - Receive 16 Hours of PCSOT continuing education credits
More Information and Registration for 16 HR. course (GEORGIA)


You can also get more information by calling 770-960-1377 or send an email to AIIP@Qpolygraph.com

Polygraph in the News - 6/18/2009

The following are articles in which Polygraph is playing an important role in the World. (Article descriptions are mine)

** Please note that many news sources archive/move their articles after a certain period of time. If a story link no longer works, this may be what happened.


Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Polygraph in the News - 6/16/2009

The following are articles in which Polygraph is playing an important role in the World. (Article descriptions are mine)

** Please note that many news sources archive/move their articles after a certain period of time. If a story link no longer works, this may be what happened.


  • Three guys commit a crime. One rolls over on the other two to get a deal after failing the polygraph twice. He claims the other two did the crime and he just showed up at the end, however, there is no follow up polygraph test to see if he is now telling the whole story. An attorney for one of the other suspects makes, in my opinion, a valid argument. How can you trust the testimony of this one guy if he failed two tests and claims he's innocent but they are guilty. Why not a third polygraph to make sure he is now being completely truthful? Is this because a confession is more important than the truth? I don't know. What do you think?
    http://www.detnews.com/article/20090614/METRO/906140312/1409/METRO/Attorney-questions-polygraph-in-Downriver-beating-case

The New APA Model Policy for Post Conviction Sex Offender Testing


A few weeks ago, the APA posted the newest model policy regarding PCSOT testing.

I have created a PDF of the document and added bookmarks for the 14 main sections of the policy for easier navigation. If you are not familiar with using bookmarks, just look for the small bookmark icon on the pdf browser after clicking the link below. The image to the right shows an example. This is often done on PDF documents, but is only useful if you know its there, so if you haven't already, add that to your browsing repetoir.

Download the APA Model PCSOT Policy - 05-2009. (PDF 211k)

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Polygraph in the News - 6/11/2009

The following are articles in which Polygraph is playing an important role in the World. (Article descriptions are mine)

** Please note that many news sources archive/move their articles after a certain period of time. If a story link no longer works, this may be what happened.


  • There has been some hype claims over the past couple of years as to how fMRI and EEG brain-mapping will be far superior to our traditional polygraph methods. A new study suggests that is not the case. The study was published in the Journal Science, Technology & Human Values. I do not have access to this Journal, but if anyone does and would like to send me a summary from the polygraph perspective, it would be appreciated. It does not appear that this study had anything to do with traditional polygraph, but it appears the Professor who conducted the study has clumped in traditional polygraph with her sweeping statements regarding lie detection in general, which, in my opinion is an unwelcome all too common practice.
    http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1263231
Here is the Abstract from the study used as the basis for the above article

Science, Technology & Human Values May2009, Vol. 34 Issue 3, p365-392, 28p

Abstract: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and the electroencephalography (EEG)-based technology of Brain Fingerprinting have been hailed as the next, best technologies for lie detection in America, particularly in the context of post-9/11 anxiety. In scientific journals and the popular press, each has been juxtaposed and deemed superior to traditional polygraphy, which measures changes in the autonomic nervous system and correlates these fluctuations with emotions such as anxiety, fear, and guilt. The author contends that the juxtaposition of polygraphy and brain-based detection is a rhetorical strategy that foregrounds the corrective advantage of brain-based techniques, creates an artificial rupture between contiguous technologies, and ignores the shared assumptions foundational to fMRI, EEG, and two older "truth telling" technologies: polygraphy and fingerprinting. Far from describing the brain and its functions, fMRI and Brain Fingerprinting produce models of the brain that reinforce social notions of deception, truth, and deviance.

  • Here is another case where the truth doesn't seem to matter nearly as much as HOW a case is handled and a verbal reference to a polygraph test is at the center of it.
    http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090605/NEWS02/906050301
  • Is the Sacrifice Relevant...Relevant?

    While attending a recent Georgia Polygraph Association meeting, some discussion was sparked on just exactly what the Sacrifice Relevant question is supposed to do versus what it really does... if anything. There were different opinions and the usual 'Well I heard...' type comments including one from myself that I could not substantiate. So I posed the question on the Examiner's Private Forums and there were more varied opinions. Then I got an email from Dr. Frank Horvath with his 1994 study on just this subject. With permission, I am re-publishing this study which was originally published in the APA Journal. For those who just want to get to the 'So what does all this mean?' part, you can skip to the "Discussion" section near the bottom of the study.

    The Value and Effectiveness of the Sacrifice Relevant Question: An Empirical Assessment - PDF(1.1M)

    Polygraph Job Opportunity: Spanish Speaking Polygraphers Wanted

    A Texas-based International polygraph firm is recruiting spanish speaking examiners to perform a multitude of examinations in a Latin American country. The examiners must be fluent in spanish and must be U.S. citizens with a current tourist passport and willing to travel for periods of one-to-three months (30-90 days) per deployment. Fees are competetive and expenses will be provided as separate compensation. Travel is expected to begin in late July 2009.

    Seriously interested examiners should submit inquiries and/or a resume and current photograph to TexasPolygraph@cs.com