NCJ Number
143916
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Dated: (June 1987) Pages: 7-14,19- 20
Date Published
1987
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This article intends to assist law enforcement executives in identifying the policy areas that should be addressed for various polygraph applications, such that police polygraph use will be reasonable, appropriate, and defensible.
Abstract
General policy considerations are approval authority, i.e., which individuals in the agency are authorized to approve particular types of polygraph examinations; matters to be discussed with the examinee before and during the testing; and the use of polygraph examination results. The author identifies five types of polygraph usage that are common in law enforcement and which should be addressed in policy statements: applicant testing, internal investigations, criminal law enforcement investigations, examinations conducted as a service to other agencies, and examinations of convicted subjects. Policy issues for each of these types of polygraph examinations are identified and discussed. Miscellaneous considerations for all types of polygraph examinations are the use of examinee consent forms, the monitoring and recording of polygraph examinations, assurance of examiner competence, and the use of a quality control program. A chart shows what policy issues must be considered for each type of polygraph examination. 19 footnotes