Cops say no to polygraph testing

OFFICIALS of the Police Second Division Association have instructed their members not to undergo polygraph testing pending legal advice on the matter. An attorney is currently reviewing the matter and the association will be meeting with members next week to advise them on the issue. Four detectives from the Central Division who were ordered to undergo polygraph tests, consulted with the association and were advised that they were not required to take the tests. However, the officers are worried that they could be transferred out of the CID in uniform if they refuse to comply with the order to take the tests.

Yesterday, Secretary of the Police Second Division Sgt Noel Chase told Sunday Newsday the association has also sought legal advice on the matter. He expressed the view, however, that polygraph testing should not be mandatory because it is not being used for what it was designed for. Two weeks ago, ten officers from the elite Anti-Kidnapping Squad were transferred out of the unit after they failed polygraph tests. The officers were transferred in uniform and lost all their benefits, including commuted allowances which they received apart from their pay. The officers have since taken up the matter with attorney Sophia Chote.  The officers are questioning the move by Commissioner Trevor Paul to transfer them.

Last week, some of the officers reported for duty in the Port-of-Spain Division in uniform. All officers in specialist units have either already undergone polygraph testing, or have been told they are required to do so. Since 2003, police officers have been subjected to polygraph testing which is carried out by civilians. Officers who want to join specialist units in the police service are told up front that one of the qualifications for entry is polygraph testing. Many of them are worried that if they fail the tests, the punishment will be a transfer.

Yesterday, former Chairman of the Police Service Commission Kenneth Lalla told Sunday Newsday it is not compulsory for police officers to undergo polygraph testing. He added that if the Government wishes to make polygraph testing mandatory for police officers, it should be included in the police service regulations. A polygraph or lie detector is a device which measures and records several physiological variables such as blood pressure, heart rate, respiration and skin conductivity while a series of questions is being asked, in an attempt to detect lies. A polygraph test is also known as a psychophysiological detection of deception (PDD) examination.