Toronto polygraph provides a quality polygraph service in Whitby. I am often asked if polygraph examiners are licensed in Ontario and what questions should be asked when looking for a polygraph examiner.
In reply, there is no licencing body, nor are there standards set for the conduct of polygraph examinations in Ontario. This makes it important to ask the right questions to ensure the professionalism of the examiner.
The first question should be about the examiner’s training. Most private examiners in Canada are former police officers and were trained at The Canadian Police College Polygraph School. This course is an intensive 16 week course followed by two weeks of field training. That is conducting polygraph examinations under the supervision and guidance of an experienced examiner. This portion is followed by a lengthy internship where real world tests are conducted and quality controlled sometimes for periods as long as a year. When successful the examiner is deemed a “certified polygraph examiner” by the school.
The second question should be is the training facility accredited by the American Polygraph Association. This is an important question. In the 1970’s professors from the University of Utah decided to look at the polygraph process to determine if it was “junk science” or was there merit to it. They concluded that there was merit but they felt that it could be improved. Over the last 50 years they have conducted research and developed the “Utah technique” for polygraph. This technique has been thoroughly studied scientifically and found to be both valid and reliable. They also simplified and standardized the scoring of the data in the polygraph charts.
The American Polygraph Association now requires that all polygraph training facilities conduct scientific studies on the methods they teach. If the scientific accuracy of their test does not meet the established criterion they are not accredited.
It is important to ask what professional associations the examiner belongs to. Does he attend their annual seminars to keep himself updated on alternate techniques and to refresh his memory on other aspects of polygraphy?
What is the examiner’s experience. How many examinations has he conducted? Has he conducted the type of test that you require, for example, theraputic tests for addictions, tests for relationship issues, legal issues, fishing / sporting events, thefts, or false allegations.
Another factor is confidentiality. Is the examiner discrete? Does he store his data in a secure fashion?
At Polygraph Toronto, our examiner David Robbins has completed both the Polygraph Examiner’s Course and The Polygraph Examiners Advanced Course at the Canadian Police College. He is a current member and a Past President of the Canadian Association of Police Polygraphists and attends their annual seminars. He has conducted over 2700 examinations in all facets of polygraph