SUIT: The story behind polygraphs

Congratulations to Attorney Larry Beck representing former Police Lieutenant Dan Dixon from the Coeur d'Alene Police Department. In The Press article, the polygraph tests were mentioned as the reason the police department terminated Dan Dixon. The court did not allow the admission of polygraphs not because of the jury but the two polygraph tests were administered by two polygraphers who were ill trained; one went to a polygraph school for six weeks, and the other went to a school for 10 weeks. What can anyone learn in 6-10 weeks, not very much?

As a former instructor of the Federal Government Polygraph School I personally examined the two tests of Dixon administered by the ill trained Spokane polygraph examiners, the results were INCONCLUSIVE and not deceptive. It is my opinion that people should not undergo a polygraph test with the ill trained as Spokane examiners that tested Dan Dixon.

The public should know that out of 1,900 polygraph examiners in the country, only 3 percent are qualified. If a practitioner did not attend the Federal Government School, he or she is not qualified. In addition, I wrote the book "Detection Deception," the only book about polygraph. Anyone interested in buying the book, contact the University of North Florida, Jacksonville.

THEODORE PONTICELLI

Post Falls