Macon police beef up polygraph exam team

Macon police recruits are expected to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. If they don’t, there’s a chance they’ll be weeded out early through a polygraph examination.

After most of the department’s polygraphers retired, four more are being trained, said Capt. Jimmy Barbee, who heads the Internal Affairs division.

“We should be set for polygraphers for quite a few years,” he said.

Macon Police Chief Mike Burns said about 25 applicants are now awaiting polygraphs, as the department’s only examiner has been attending the FBI Academy.

“We have a lot of applicants, but it takes forever for them to have a polygraph because we had only one examiner and he was out of state,” Burns said. “Now we won’t have that problem. It’s really going to speed up the process.”

Confiscated drug money paid the cost of the $10,000 tuition, plus lodging and meals.

The department chose candidates with a commitment to the force.

“We didn’t want them saying, ‘I’m a polygrapher now, so I’m out of here,’ ’’ Barbee said. “It’s not an easy school, and there’s a lot of hands-on experience that’s required.”

Each student was instructed on how to read case files and come up with the appropriate questions to get to the heart of an investigation. Most importantly, they learned how to administer the test and interpret its results.

“To be honest with you, I’ve looked at polygraph charts and it’s not like you see on television with the line going across the page. It’s just the slightest little changes in the line,” Barbee said. “You’re not going to fool the machine, but you may fool the examiner. But it’s not a cakewalk.”

Job candidates can expect to answer about a dozen questions. Some of them are baseline inquiries that can be easily proven to set the standard for truth on the machine. Those being tested get the questions in advance, Barbee said.

“The mind is already turning — how are you going to control your emotions,” he said. “You can control your breathing, but when you know you’re going to lie, it’s hard to control your breathing or your heart rate or your skin sweating.”

Applicants are given the test three times to be sure of their responses. If a test shows persistent deception, further inquiry is necessary.

For instance, if someone reacts when asked if they’ve ever stolen something, it may not necessarily disqualify them.

“He may be thinking of a glove he picked up on the Little League field, so we can go over that,” Barbee said.

The Macon Police Department also uses polygraph tests for Internal Affairs investigations and occasionally during a criminal investigation. Because two examiners can interpret results differently, the tests aren’t often used in court, Barbee said.

Contrary to popular belief, exam results are admissible in Georgia if both sides agree.

Barbee remembered a time when a suspect who professed his innocence insisted on taking a test.

Investigators made him sign a waiver stating that he would plead guilty if he failed, or the test would be admitted into evidence in court.

The man flunked and pleaded guilty. Case closed.

Macon’s polygraphers are called on by other law enforcement agencies who don’t have trained investigators or to avoid conflict of interest in internal investigations.

In the past year, the department has conducted at least 61 exams, including three for internal investigations, Barbee said.

They also performed 10 for the Warner Robins Police Department.

Burns said they will be ready to better assist other departments.

“When our examiner was gone, we had to call some other agencies, so we’ll be willing to help others.”

To contact writer Liz Fabian, call 744-4303.