By John E. Reid & Associates

The polygraph instrument, erroneously called a 'lie detector', is nothing more than a monitoring device to record different physiological systems. The first polygraph was developed in 1908 by a British Doctor to monitor a mother's physiology during labor contractions. In the 1930's this technology was applied to a technique used to question criminal suspects.

The polygraph instrument monitors three physiological systems. It records changes in respiratory rate and volume, heart rate and blood pressure as well as sweat gland activity. The reason these systems are monitored is that they each reflect arousal of the autonomic (involuntary) nervous system (ANS). The ANS contains two types of nerves. The first type, parasympathetic nerves, conserve energy and keep the systems in a relatively resting state. The second type of nerve, sympathetic nerves, prepare the body for action in what is called a fight or flight response. During intense emotional states such as surprise, fear, anger and pain, sympathetic nerves are activated. From polygraph charts a trained examiner can identify whether or not a particular question stimulated sympathetic arousal.

As can be seen, the polygraph instrument itself plays a minor role in detecting deception. Rather, it is the questioning technique that is critical. The simplest technique relies on subject recognition to stimulate autonomic arousal. Consider a burglary in which $500 in cash was stolen from a cookie jar. A suspect who is innocent of this burglary would have no idea where the $500 was stolen from. However, the guilty burglar would certainly remember that unusual hiding place. A suspect could be given a polygraph examination where the central question asked is, "Was the stolen $500 hidden in a _________?" In the blank the examiner could read the words (1) shoe box, (2) desk drawer, (3) night stand, (4) cookie jar, (5) jewelry box, (6) pocket book, (7) stereo cabinet. If this series of questions was asked on three different tests and during each test a subject exhibited autonomic arousal to the item, "cookie jar" this result would clearly support the finding of guilty knowledge, and therefore imply involvement in the burglary. This simple recognition test is called a Peak of Tension test because often the deceptive subject's autonomic arousal gradually builds to the point of recognition whereupon the body exhibits relief, thus forming a literal peak on the polygraph records.

Oftentimes however, through police questioning or media coverage, details of a crime become known to innocent suspects and the above mentioned Peak of Tension test is not a viable design. In this circumstance the polygraph technique is used to identify whether or not a subject is telling the truth when he answers "no" to a crime question such as, "Did you steal $500 from a cookie jar in a home on Main Street?"Common sense might indicate that a lying subject would exhibit autonomic arousal to this question and a truthful subject would not. However, this is rarely the case. A truthful subject may exhibit arousal to this question as a result of recognizing the importance of the question. Furthermore, a deceptive subject may not exhibit arousal to this question because of fatigue, ingestion of drugs or a variety of underlying psychological factors. To overcome these difficulties, in the 1940's John E. Reid developed the Control Question polygraph technique.

Whereas the Peak of Tension polygraph technique relied on recognition, the Control Question technique relies on a more involved psychological process called attention. In any high-motivation situation a person focuses his thoughts, perceptions and actions toward a particular goal. Attention is the process of excluding competing stimuli in favor of a particular goal.

To illustrate, consider that a polygraph instrument was attached to two parents attending a high school band concert who also happened to be close friends. One of the parent's son plays oboe while the other's son plays trumpet. During a particular piece of music there is an oboe solo as well as a trumpet solo and both parents are aware of each other's apprehension over the upcoming solos. The process of recognition would predict that both parents would exhibit similar autonomic arousal during both the oboe and trumpet solos. However, because these are competing stimuli, attention takes over. The polygraph charts of the parent of the oboe player would show much more arousal during the oboe solo compared to the trumpet solo. The polygraph charts of the parent of the trumpet player would show opposite results. Consequently, even though recognition occurred in both parents during the playing of each boys’ solo, their respective attention was direction toward one solo or the other. The fascinating feature of attention as a psychological process is that it excludes competing stimuli. It results in not only heightened arousal to a targeted stimulus, but also inhibits arousal to competing stimuli.

Returning to the earlier burglary example, consider that it is known that the subject taking the examination has a previous juvenile conviction for stealing a car from a neighbor's driveway. During an interview that preceded the polygraph examination the subject explained that he pled guilty to this charge even though he did not steal the car. Investigative information, as well as the subject's behavior, leave no doubt that he did steal the car. Based on this information, the examiner may establish the following set of polygraph questions where questions (1), (2) and (4) are relevant questions and questions (3) and (5) are control questions.

(1) "On July 15^th, 2001 did you break into a home on Main Street?"

(2) "On July 15^th, 2001 did you steal money from a home on Main Street?"

(3) "Did you ever steal anything from a person you knew?"

(4) "Did you steal $500 from a cookie jar in a home on Main Street?"

(5) "Did you ever take someone else's property without their permission?"

Assume that we are examining the person guilty of the burglary. He is lying to all five of the above questions and yet, because the purpose of the examination is to establish his truthfulness in the burglary, through the process of attention he will exclude the questions concerning general thefts even though he is lying to them (the polygraph is not a lie detector). His attention will be focused to the relevant questions concerning the July 15^th burglary.

Assume now that this subject is innocent of the burglary. He is telling the truth to relevant questions (1) (2) and (4) but lying to control questions (3) and (5). Even though the burglary questions are important to him (through recognition) the process of attention will exclude those questions in favor of the much more threatening questions concerning general theft. John Reid described this phenomenon in the terms of emotionally weighted questions. He theorized that a subject will exhibit the most significant arousal to questions which hold the greatest emotional weight as a result of threatening a particular goal during a polygraph examination. The goal of an innocent subject is to be reported as telling the truth during the examination. Thus, the control questions are the most threatening. The goal of a deceptive subject is to not be detected as lying to the issue under investigation. Thus the relevant questions are the most threatening.

The control question polygraph technique compensates for many of the inherent problems associated with a recognition test. In short, for a subject to be reported as telling the truth during a polygraph examination he must demonstrate the ability to exhibit sympathetic arousal through his responses to control questions. A deceptive suspect who has ingested drugs or for some psychological reason does not exhibit autonomic arousal during deception will not be mistakenly reported as telling the truth because those factors will also inhibit responses to control questions. An innocent subject, who may exhibit false arousal to crime questions because of recognition, is provided stronger competing stimuli through control questions.

The next web tip will present information on the proper use of the polygraph technique during a criminal investigation. Credit and Permission Statement: This Investigator Tip was developed by John E. Reid and Associates Inc. Permission is hereby granted to those who wish to share or copy the article. For additional 'tips' visit www.reid.com; select 'Educational Information' and 'Investigator Tip'. Inquiries regarding Investigator Tips should be directed to Janet Finnerty johnreid@htc.net. For more information regarding Reid seminars and training products, contact John E. Reid and Associates, Inc. at 800-255-5747 or www.reid.com.

  

You need more than just a gun to effectively and safely carry off duty.

by Dean Scoville  Police Magazine

Several companies, including 5.11 Tactical, sell clothing designed to allow for easy access of a concealed weapon when off duty.

Imagine patronizing a business and finding yourself unarmed and in the middle of a takeover robbery, confronted by multiple suspects that have the drop on you.

That was the position Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dep. Shane York found himself in while visiting a hair salon with his girlfriend. After finding York's police ID in his wallet, the robbers executed him with a bullet to the head.

Awhile back I touched on some of the concerns that cops should consider before taking off-duty action.

But beyond general philosophies, what practices might cops want to get in the habit of doing? What should and shouldn't cops carry on their person while out and about during their weekly emancipations from work?

To avoid finding themselves in a vulnerable position similar to that of Dep. York, some cops carry a second wallet bereft of anything that might identify them as police officers. Others forego carrying a badge altogether, or elect to carry photo ID in a less accessible area of their belongings.

Your decision may well be predicated on whether or not you're predisposed to taking any kind of off-duty action. (Which can be something of a catch-22 as your off-duty identification may be the only thing keeping responding officers from shooting at you).

Years ago, I wasn't shy about getting in off-duty situations. I made several good felony hooks, even got some decent attaboys, corralled a pervert or two, and saved at least one man's life.

But I haven't gotten involved in an off-duty incident in years and have made a conscious decision not to. Unless it's truly a matter of life or death, I just don't think it's worth the risks I'd be incurring in taking such action.

Fortunately, there are still those gung ho youngsters that are still willing to brave dirtbags and circumstances, all the while suppressing any fears of getting sued and losing all their worldly possessions. Assuming these courageous souls carry a firearm off duty and are inclined to take off-duty action, what else might they want to have at their disposal?

Well, how about some manner of less lethal weaponry? Yeah, just like that stuff dangling from your arsenalled waist. Maybe something along the lines of a personal TASER, OC spray, or collapsible baton? That old saw about having different tools in your toolbox is no less applicable away from work than it is on the job, especially if you live in a particularly litigious area of the country.

Something else I'd try to have with me would be  a cell phone - with a reputable service provider, of course. Some cops even carry cell phones in lieu of a firearm, figuring that it's smarter to just call the local authorities than take independent action. In either event, I'd also have the PDs of those areas that I live or work in, or otherwise frequent, on speed-dial. Probably a lawyer, too.

High on my list would be disposable cuffs and restraints such as those available through Monadnock. If I opted for conventional cuffs instead, then I'd make damn sure I had keys to go with them. (How else are you going to keep unruly SOBs detained otherwise?) Besides, your carrying restraints as well as a sidearm could come in handy under cross-examination: Not only were you prepared to shoot someone if necessary, but were otherwise prepared to deal with the incident at a level in comport with what is expected of you on duty.

The whole notion of off-duty carry can be a can of worms, which accounts for some police agencies changing police mandates from "officers shall have their sidearms with them while off-duty" to "officers may have their sidearm with them."

This finds cops often positioning themselves in half-assed compromises and while officers would be well advised not to leave their guns in personal vehicles, many do. Part of the problem may be a matter of bad conditioning: Many police academies have historically lectured rookie cops to secure their firearms in the trunks of their cars, a habit many officers adhere to long after the driving impetus for the request - their rookie status - ceases to be a concern.

Unfortunately, such habits can prove fateful not only for the firearm's owner, but for others, as well.

A firearm stolen from one officer's vehicle was later used to kill still another - Minneapolis PD Officer Richard Miller, who'd stopped the gun thief in yet another stolen vehicle.

As thieves are increasingly targeting cars known to be owned by cops, it would make sense for cops to avoid calling attention to their profession while off duty. (Obligatory disclaimer: Admittedly, I still wear LASD logoed shirts from time to time, but almost exclusively when I work out. Even then, I tend to be circuitous in getting to and from my vehicle. Usually because I forgot where the hell I parked it.)

Rookies are particularly vulnerable to making their choice of profession known, routinely sporting embroidered garments and caps while patronizing malls where they left the Ford with the FOP sticker and "Feel Safe Tonight - Sleep With a Cop" license plate frame in the parking lot. Then they wonder why their cars end up vandalized.

When it comes to firearms, what and where a cop carries on his person are twin concerns.

Ideally, off-duty carry should be a concession between security and comfort. You want the weapon accessible to you, but not readily discernable to those about you. Cops take pride in their ability to profile gaits, postures, and mid-rift bulges in determining whether or not a subject is armed. Sometimes, the person profiled is a suspect; sometimes, it's an off-duty cop. Yet how often do these expert profilers concern themselves with the possibility that the manner in which they dress or carry themselves might allow a suspect to identify them as cops and get the drop on them?

Whatever else, today's cops have much more latitude in what and where they carry than in the past. Many specialty garment lines offer a variety of shirts, jackets, and pants that allow for comfortable concealed carry.

Certainly, I wish I had such options back in the day. I don't know how many guys sport ankle holsters these days, but mine not only threw my body out of whack (BTW: What's a "whack?") but was damned difficult to get to (memo: no more boot-cut jeans).

Then there was the backup I used to carry in the back pocket of my uniform pants. Not only did my two-inch wreak havoc on my spine, but I stupidly had its hammer filed down so that it wouldn't get caught on the hem of my pockets. Unfortunately, the "gunsmith" ended up rendering the firearm useless because the hammer's diminished weight precluded a sufficient strike of the firing pin. (Yes, boys and girls, I am not above exploiting my own idiocies for your benefit).

Whatever and wherever you carry off-duty, please practice drawing and firing it while decked out in the clothes you're apt to be sporting while out and about in society. There's a great deal of difference in accessibility to your firearm and firing it while in civilian attire than there is in your Class As on the firing line.

Don't find out the hard way.

 

 

If your agency is flush with funding dollars, you can stop reading now. However, if your agency faces the challenge of shrinking budgets coupled with increased responsibilities, the subject of grants and other supplemental funding is probably of interest for you. Now is the perfect time to start identifying opportunities for the next budget cycle. Finding a grant for which your agency is eligible and that also meets your needs can be one of the most difficult steps in your funding process. The following outlines some key tips on how to get started.   

Research

• www.grants.gov
• www.rkb.us
• http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/solicitations.htm
• www.FirstResponderGrants.com

Use the Web sites above to locate available funding. Doing your research and knowing which grants will be available in the coming year will assist your agency in planning and budgeting to maximize your resources. For example, if you know that there is no grant funding allocated for vehicles, you can look for grants to fund other agency needs, hopefully freeing up money in your budget for vehicles.

Assess Your Needs

Since many grants will fund multiple tasks or projects, you will need to conduct a needs assessment to prioritize your agency’s needs. For instance, if you must choose between a drug treatment and enforcement program and a crime victim and witness program, both may be allowed with JAG funding. Your needs assessment will help decide which program is more pressing. Knowing that a foundation or corporation such as State Farm may fund one of the programs also could help you to obtain both using multiple sources. Planning and research are essential to a good grant strategy for your agency.

A needs assessment can be as simple as your agency identifying the most critical needs in terms of equipment and programs within the agency and compiling al list of these in order of priority or a more formal risk and needs assessment using FEMA and Homeland Security.

Meet the Requirements

Once you have found a grant, you need to review closely the Request for Proposal (RFP), or guidelines for applying, and develop an outline that details the critical information required. Each grant is different, so it is essential that you pay careful attention to the guidelines for each proposal. Almost 50 percent of grant proposals are dismissed outright or ultimately unsuccessful because the writer did not follow the guidelines outlined in the RFP.  Some examples would include simple errors such as failure to include all the documents required by the RFP such as the Disclosure of Lobbying Activities and Assurances, not following the font and size requirements, or missing a required signature. Other problems occur in not addressing all the stated goals and objections required by the RFP, or requesting low priority items, failure to itemize your cost, not providing an adequate problem statement, and simply not checking your figures to insure they all add up and balance.

COMMON REASONS GRANTS GET DECLINED

1. Failure To Follow Directions

a. Read the information thoroughly. Go to the workshops. Read and highlight the guidelines in the RFP.

b. Pay attention to deadlines as well as how the grant application has to arrive and where.

c. Use proper formatting as stated and do not exceed page limitations.

2. Requesting Too Many Items

a. No “shopping cart” approach. Remember “needy, not greedy!”

b. The items you request should be in line with the size of your department and your service area.

c. It is advisable to keep the number of items to 3-4 per application. If you must, break the program up into phases and complete it as such, with several grants.

3. Failure To Itemize Your Costs

a. If you request equipment, make sure you shop for the best price. Then spell it out clearly: 10 Units at $100 for a total cost of $1,000.

b. Don’t forget about training costs.

c. Administrative costs.

d. Travel costs to attend training or to take delivery of equipment.

e. Shipping costs.

f. Service and maintenance costs or extended warranties.

4. Not Making Your Case On A Cost-Benefit Basis

a. You must show that the dollars expended produce the largest benefit to your agency and to the surrounding community. Remember to address the “triumvirate” of us, we, and them.

b. It is imperative to include mutual aid situations and interagency cooperation. Include the other agencies in your plans, and show that your receipt of the equipment helps other jurisdictions and the community at large.

c. Biggest Bang for the Buck!

5. You Didn’t Provide An Adequate Problem Description

a. You have to provide a “state of the community and my department” statement.

b. Describe in detail why you are having the problem.

c. Who, What, When, Where and Why

d. You are an artist painting a picture with words; you must immerse the reviewer into your community and its problems.

6. You Didn’t Shop Around For The Lowest Prices

a. The Federal minimum guideline says that you should obtain two quotes. Remember to follow your local procurement policies and procedures.

b. Don’t ask for a Cadillac if a VW will do the job.

c. Reviewer’s hate “greedy” departments. If you raise the “greedy flag,” you will be denied or rejected. The request must be reasonable for your department and the problem you are asking for assistance with.

7. Not Making A Compelling Case Of Financial Need

a. You have to make a strong argument that you cannot afford to fund this activity (e.g., tax referendums were defeated, businesses moved out, bad crop years, etc.) State what funding events you tried and what success levels you attained, or didn’t attain. If you have applied before, say that you have done so and that although you have not been able to budget it in, you still have a great need for the equipment.

b. Keep your request in line with your agency size, personnel and the community you service.

c. They must know you are attempting to handle the problem yourselves, but are not able to keep pace.

8. Failing To Check Your Work In The Document

a. Do all your figures agree?

b. Have you left out an important detail?

c. Do you have spelling errors?

d. Have it proofread professionally before you push the submit button.

9. The Grant Fails To Encourage Collaborative Efforts And Interagency Cooperation

a. Make sure you include this element in your grant. It will give you higher scores.

b. Place the header or sub header “Interagency Interoperability” so it gets noticed.

c. Show that the stakeholders were involved in the process or that their concerns are being addressed.

10. You Requested Items Which Are Low Priority

a. Request items specifically stated to be receiving a high priority and stay away from the lower priority items.

b. Mixing higher priorities with lower priorities lowers your total overall score.

11. They Ran Out Of Money!

a. Too many applicants.

b. Not enough funding.

c. If you feel there isn’t anything wrong with your application, update it and resubmit next year.

Since each RFP is different and has its specific requirements becoming familiar with these guidelines from the very beginning makes the process run more quickly and smoothly and allows for a more successful outcome. You should begin by reading the RFP several times, taking notes and/or highlighting specific requirements and deadlines. Use highlighters in multiple colors to help you take note of the required information if that is helpful

Basic questions that you need to answer based on information addressed in the RFP include: 

1. Is my organization eligible to apply?

If you have a question about your agency’s eligibility, call the program contact and ask. You never want to invest time and resources in applying for funding only to discover that your agency was not eligible.

2. What are the restrictions?

3. How many grants will be awarded?

Look at how many awards will be given and try to determine how many agencies may apply or have applied in the past. If only a small number of grants will be awarded for a given pool of money, your chances of getting that grant are greatly reduced. You may want to consider pursuing a different funding opportunity.

4. What is the average monetary size of the grant?

Will the award amount be large enough to fulfill your agency’s needs?

5. Is my agency willing or able to comply with the rules of the RFP?

Will you need to complete an evaluation of the program’s impact or effectiveness? Does your department or agency have the needed resources to meet any matching dollar requirements?

6. What is the project period, or when does the grant begin and end?

7. Who is the contact person to answer questions, and how do I contact that person?

8. If funded, is there a possibility of continuing funding after the award period expires?

9. Is there an application kit or package?

The vast majority of federal grants use an on-line or E-grants application now.

10. What is the proposal/application deadline?

The individual preparing the application should be aware of this date and any other subsequent dates outlined in the RFP process in order to qualify and meet the deadlines.

Finding applicable grants or other funding for your agency is half the battle.  Following the steps outlined above will put you well on your way.

We encourage any department or agency that is considering writing a grant to check our web site at First Responder Grants for a listing of available grants as well as grant writing training classes.

 

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