Tom Phillips on Polygraph

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Greensboro City Council Member Tom Phillips was interviewed this morning on the Dusty Dunn program with John Hammer of the Rhino Times on 1070 am radio (available daily at www.wgos.net)

Eight members of the City Council, including Mayor Holliday have taken a polygraph test in an attempt to find out who gave information about a report concerning misconduct in the Greensboro Police Department and the firing of Chief Ray by the City Manager. The lie-detector test was given by a retired FBI agent who is frequently used by RMA. Several council members have said that they passed the test. Others have not yet revealed the results of their tests.

Mr. Phillips was asked how long did the lie-detector test take. He answered that the whole thing took about an hour and a half. The first half hour was spent just talking, then a half hour telling how the test works and going over the questions to be asked. The final half hour was the actual test. Phillips said that they asked basic information questions and then a series of questions that were asked three different times in three different sequences. He said that you knew what they were going to be asking and eight council members have done it. Phillips said that questions asked covered these scenarios: Did you give access to other people? Did you leak it to the news media? Did you make copies of it?

Phillips said that he does not know how the staff was cleared, but very few people had access and the City Manager has assured the council that these staff people have been cleared. He also said that the polygraph test would not have been given if everyone on the council had signed the affidavit saying that they did not reveal the information in the report.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

"He also said that the polygraph test would not have been given if everyone on the council had signed the affidavit saying that they did not reveal the information in the report."

That doesn't make any sense, considering that those who signed the affidavit were the only ones given the polygraph. If the affidavit is enough, why take a polygraph? Why'd they waste our $5,000?

That seems to demonstrate the level of intelligent thought put into this.

Diane Grey Davis said...

I agree. The polygraph tests were a waste of time and money. I really thought that at least some of the council members would come to their senses and refuse to continue the polygraph nonsense.

Anonymous said...

After eight polygraph "tests" and some $5,000 of public funds spent, as little is known about the source of the leak as was known before this polygraph foolery. Polygraph "testing" simply doesn't work. It has no scientific basis to begin with and is easily fooled through the use of simple countermeasures.

Equally reliable results could have been obtained for under ten dollars by purchasing and consulting a Magic 8-Ball (which could be re-used over and over at no additional cost).