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The First High-Profile Case - history of the polygraph
Current: Detecting deception was
paramount in the Lindbergh kidnapping case. An entire nation
demanded to know the truth, and initially there were several
suspects, one of whom committed suicide within moments of being
questioned. In those days, the polygraph was a new device and the
experts wanted to test it, but it was resisted on all
fronts---except by the one person who might have benefited most. (Read
more...)
The polygraph as
an investigative tool
A polygraph is an instrument that
records certain physiological changes in a person undergoing
questioning in an effort to obtain truth or deception. A polygraph
simultaneously records a minimum of respiratory activity, galvanic
skin resistance/conductivity and cardiovascular activity.
Polygraph testing is currently being
used in more than 50 countries in the fields of corrections,
criminal investigations, intelligence/counter intelligence and
civil matters.
Law enforcement agencies using the
polygraph do so predicated on the basis that it is an important
investigative aid, but not a substitute for standard investigative
techniques. For decades the law enforcement community has used
polygraph testing as an investigative aid to: verify the statements
of victims; establish the credibility of witnesses; evaluate the
truthfulness of suspects and to help exonerate the innocent who is
surrounded by circumstantial or uncorroborated evidence. (Read
more...)
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