NEED HELP..Worried about passing lie detector test.

Hey guys...what my problem is is I am checking into becoming a police officer, and I'm worried about passing a lie detector. About a year ago I had some hard times in my life and smoked pot for a short time. Stupid I know and regret it. I want to become a police officer but they will make you take a polygraph or voice lie detector test and I'm worried about going through all the months of testing and not pass the lie detector.
Does anyone have any idea how much they really take into consideration that test. is it possible to lie about that and pass....

It really sucks to have a couple of bad months a while back hold me down...and I regret my mistake. I appricate any help.

[edit on 19-1-2007 by elevatedone]

Tell the truth and explain yourself. If you show passion for your new occupation I'm sure they could look over some past mistakes. It isn't like you would do it again. It sounds like you have turned your life around nicely. Good luck and God's speed. You have made a noble choice....

The polygraph (otherwise known as lie detector) is a very inaccurate science. We only used them to basically bluff someone into confessing. I believe the other type of test you are refering to is a "voice stress analysis." It's been awhile, but I don't believe the VSA test is used in place of the polygraph exam.

While I don't believe in lying on the exam, I don't see anything wrong with sharing a little bit of reading material with you.

www.antipolygraph.org...
Discusses countermeasures, and why the polygraph should be banned.

*Just as a side note, admiting to smoking pot will not guarentee that you'll be disqualified. Being caught in a lie will.

Good luck,
Jack

[edit on 1/19/2007 by JBurns]

George Costanza to Jerry Seinfeld: " It's not a lie if you believe it".

Well my brother is an officer going on 17 yrs now hes a Captain now. Anyways, he did pot in his younger days. He never went to college either. However, he served military for four years and was a MP. Don't know if that helped him. Plus he served in gruad till just this year. After he got back from Iraq he retired from Military.

I totally agree that you would be doing yourself a favor by telling the truth.
But I also gotta tell you how easy it is to pass a lie detector test while you're lying through your teeth.
The lie detector doesn't detect the lie, it detects the changes in your physiology when you tell a lie. If you stay totally relaxed and believe in yourself you can say anything you want and no one will be the wiser.
When they ask "Did you smoke pot?" you just picture yourself sitting there taking a big hit, smile, and say "no". If you feel guilty, you'll show guilty. If you feel and believe you did nothing wrong the needle will not deflect one bit.
I've had a few pre-job lie detector tests and never failed any of them. I did tell the truth most of the time, I always had to lie about smoking pot.
I truly believe that pot should be legal, so I believed in my own mind that nothing wrong was done. So when I substitute the word "no" for "yes" nothing is detected. Very simple, just believe.

One more thing....

Knowing how it works will help also, there are 3 things it will measure in most cases.

1. There is a strap that goes around your chest to detect a change in your breathing. Stay calm and breath normally at all times.

2. Heartrate monitor will detect a change in your heartrate. Again, just stay calm.

3. Galvanic skin response. (a fancy way of detecting if you sweat after you lie) Just stay calm, no problem. Your perspiration won't change if you have no mental reaction to the question.

If they ask you if you've ever smoked pot, just say you did when you were a teenager and regret it. Lying will get you in a lot more trouble than admitting to something that happened long ago and openly showing remorse.

Believe your lies, if that doesnt work then I dont know. I dont see how you regret smoking bud, it isnt bad for you, contrary to popular belief. The only bad thing about it is it costs money and gets you arrested.

Lying will get you in a lot more trouble than admitting to something that happened long ago and openly showing remorse.

That's exactly what I believed when I filled out the application for the FBI. I figured they'd find out anyway so I should be honest.
It's also why I didn't get the job.

I know cops who, to this day, smoke pot. I'm sure that the police don't think pot is a big deal at all (except when busting people to raise their stats). So, I'd recommend just telling the truth.

But, if you're really concerned, simply give them a test that's unreadable. Put a tack in your shoe, and press down on it when you are asked your base (control) questions, and every question afterwards. The expectation of pain for every question, even honest ones, will raise your heart rate, perspiration, and speed up breathing. The test will be so messed up that they won't know what to do with it.

Rasobasi420, I do believe that would work! Excellent suggestion.
If they reschedule the test, just do it again. LOL

Thanks Beer_Guy, the only problem would be walking around until, and immediately following the test. But if they question it, say you twisted your ankle. What are they gonna do, give you a lie-detector test?

Why this works: The pain which stepping on the thumbtack produces causes your body to react with the release of adrenaline and an arousal response, the same as lying would. When you step on the tack through all of the centering questions, you establish a higher baseline for yourself. When you step on the tack when you answer real questions truthfully, you conform to this baseline, and you lie without stepping on it, you're close enough to that baseline that even a skilled polygraph operator won't be able to tell the difference. Unless they notice you limping when you come in, which is more or less a dead giveaway.

everything2.com...

Originally posted by Rasobasi420
I know cops who, to this day, smoke pot. I'm sure that the police don't think pot is a big deal at all (except when busting people to raise their stats).

Do I think smoking dope is a big deal? I sure as hell do. When I was a police officer and I caught someone with marijuana they ended up with either a ticket for possesion or a trip to regional. I assure you, we didn't "bust" these people to raise our stats. We did it because they were/are low life scum bags.

Originally posted by Rasobasi420
But, if you're really concerned, simply give them a test that's unreadable.

Which is exactly why you would have to remove your shoes the second time around.

Bottom line, don't lie on the test. If you aren't qualified then you aren't qualified.

[edit on 7/9/2007 by JBurns]

My friend was in the same boat as you, and he was able to lie on his test and he is now a police officer, so it is possible. If you tell them the truth, they might commend you for doing so but you definatly wont get the job.

Ok, they will ask you the control questions first, answer them truthfully. Keep answering till you get to a question that you will have to lie for. Now if they ask you, "Have you ever smoked pot?" You want a "no" for that, so just strongly imagine a "no question" in your head as he asks you the real question. So he's asking if you ever smoked, but your hearing in your head, "Is the sky purple?" of course the answer is no, and if you concentrate hard enough it's a very simple method.

Just keep a controll "yes" question and a control "no" question in your mind, and it'll be a piece of cake.

Tell trhem that you smoked it but never inhaled. It worked for Clinton.

By the way BJ's aren't sex either.

My suggestion is that you be honest from the getgo, that way you can relax during the polygraph. In my opinion, what you've done in your past isn't neccessarily going to keep you from getting the job. What *could* keep you from it is if you attempt to hide things or flat out lie, and that shows up on the test. Again in my opinion, it's a worse thing to appear dis-honest or untrustworthy now - than it is to have made a lapse of judgement in your past.

NOMW

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