facts which must be collected or evaluated for completion of the investigation.
7.
Obtaining the Person's Consent to Take a Test.
a. The success of a polygraph test will also depend in part on how the
examinee was treated before he was asked to take it, and how he was treated while
awaiting it. Talk openly and freely to the examinee about the test.
b. To aid in obtaining a person's comment to a polygraph test;
(1) Offer it as a means of establishing the truthfulness of the person's
statements.
(2) Describe the polygraph as a "champion of the innocent" or a "truth
verifier" rather than a "lie detector."
(3) Depict the examiner as a "searcher for truth."
(4) Assure the person that the examiner is
a
qualified
person
who
is
impartial toward all the persons involved in the case.
(5) Explain that all polygraph tests are voluntary.
c. On the other hand, the investigator should avoid any claim for the
instrument or the operator that is not backed up by fact. Never use a request to
take a polygraph test as a bluff or as a means of exerting pressure.
Offer a
polygraph just before saying "Goodbye" to a suspect.
d. If the person objects to a polygraph test, determine the cause (fear,
nervousness, misconception).
Arrange a consultation between the person and the
examiner so that the examiner may assist in overcoming his objections.
8.
Responsibilities of the Polygraph Examiner.
a. He must conduct the test in accordance with regulations. The objective is
to assist the investigators; it may be requested as a means of freeing from blame.
In either case, it must be given under controlled conditions. The examiner cannot,
and must not, conduct a competent test when, in his opinion, the examinee is:
(1) Mentally or physically fatigued.
This precludes a successful test,
since the best precept depends upon his ability to respond physically to mental
stimuli.
(2) Unduly emotionally upset, intoxicated, or under the influence of
Any of these conditions work to the
detriment through modification of physical response.
(3) A known addict to narcotics.
This does not preclude the examination of
rehabilitated addicts.
4-7
MP1016
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