This bill will have an adverse affect on Law Enforcement screening for Washington State. The language in the bill will allow Truth Verification Examiner’s to administer polygraph or other similar devices without being certified by the American Polygraph Association.
This was attempted 2 or 3 years ago when some law enforcement agencies wanted to use a Computerized Voice Stress Analyzer (CVSA) for Peace Officer Certification when they have not been validated as being reliable.
This will have a devastating affect on the validity of the screening process for peace officer’s. This could allow sex offender’s who have not been charged with a crime to become police officer’s.
Some agencies wanted to use this because it is very inexpensive. A CVSA examiner goes to school for 3 to 5 days and is certified by the school as an instructor when he leaves. A polygraph examiner takes 2 to 3 years to get certified and is required to attend continued education every year to maintain national certification. You can see the difference in the process and administration of a truth verification examination.
Please call me if you have any questions. I also have information that is available and a CD showing large law suites against police agencies for using the CVSA because it has not been shown to be reliable or valid.
60 minutes had a one hour program on this same device showing the danger of using it.