Turn on just about any crime show—or a personal favorite, Meet the Parents—and at some point, you’ll find someone hooked up to a polygraph examination (more commonly known as a lie detector test).
In real life, it almost always starts the same way: someone is contacted by law enforcement, and informed that he (or she) is considered a suspect in an ongoing criminal investigation or accused of some crime. Then, the officers offer to let him explain himself, assure him that they believe him, and give him the “opportunity” to fully clear the air by submitting to a polygraph examination and passing it. This is a phenomenon we’ve seen increasingly in sex crime investigations.
Yeah, no thank you. For starters, lie detector tests are infamously difficult to pass, even if you are telling the absolute truth. There is a reason why they aren’t admissible in court—because they’re notoriously inaccurate. So while you might stand to gain a little if you can pass the test, you stand to lose a lot if—and statistically, when—you fail.
Often, the police might also claim to already possess some DNA evidence that they don’t even have. Here’s a tip that far too few people know: cops can and will lie to you (to really drive this point home, we dedicated an entire blog post to this myth). So know that anything they tell you might very well be a trick.
The bottom line is that if the police were actually being honest when they said they had enough evidence to arrest you, they probably would have done so already. The “offer” to take a polygraph is because they need more evidence against you, not because they are trying to help you out. So think long and hard before agreeing to take a lie detector test, but more importantly, call a highly-qualified, locally experienced, criminal defense firm first to get some guidance throughout the process.
Have you or a loved one been contacted by law enforcement about an ongoing investigation? Give us a call today at (619) 295-3555 to schedule a consultation and regain control of your future.
The contents of this article and blog are for meant for informational and marketing purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Viewing and/or use of the blog does not form an attorney-client relationship. No statements in this post are a guarantee, warranty, or prediction of a particular result in your case.