LIE DETECTOR TESTS I.E. (POLYGRAPH_

[Phil]

We did not want to have to do this, but we have been asked if at our tournament, are we giving polygraph tests to winners so on etc ?? We did not want to get into it , did not want to have to do that. Is it that bad again that we need to polygraph winners etc. What has happened to policing ourselves ? OK: the answer is this to all who have called us about this........Yes we will have polygraph available........yes there will be (4) official boats on the water all day, so you never know whence and where they may come from, please have fun above all... This is a fun tournament not WON pro or B.A.S.S. pro........

Thank you all for your support..

Jigs

[RougeBass]

Ok I have to ask this question??? What is all the lie detector stuff about???? Is it about the cheating that went on in the FPT or what?? Everytime I talk to someone all of a sudden lie detectors are an issue. I have been tourney fishing since 92 and it seems like all of a sudden we are catching fish that have been tied up, finding fish in cages, and so on. I am just amazed that this the direction we are headed. Or maybe all this has been going on since 92 and I have been having too much fun to realize it. WHAT EVER HAPPENDING TO JUST HAVING A GOOD TIME??????

[Phil]

I have no idea and no answer for you. I have been at this since 1988, saw it happen a few times in late 80's and early 90's and here we are again.......I couldn't tell you what or why ?


Jigs

[Bill K]

It is not new, at all, Polygraph tests have been around at various
tournaments for years, maybe not always used, but there and the option to run the top people thru has been up to the TD. But they
have been there and are always mentioned in the rules. At least that is what I have noticed for period of time.. Bill K

[Phil]

I THINK ROGUE ASK WHY ? WHY SO MUCH CHEATING I BELIEVE IS WHAT HE IS ASKING !!

[Bill K]

I see. Why I do not know, for sure. Could be to offset cheating.
However in some tournaments it did not do so, even tho it showed
polygraphs were present. Some will try to cheat no matter what, seems they just have to win. All I know it is one of the rules, many times, and I guess the question should be directed to a TD for as too why and maybe when polygraphs started being used or in the
rules. All I know it does not bother me and IF I made top place a
polygraph would not bother me in the least. Bill K

[RougeBass]

Was just really venting about this issue. If I won a boat or something big I'd be so exicted that I would care less about a poly. I guess its just upsetting that now its important to have a poly available. Sorry just venting!

[Cris Vanclef]

A lot of us would like to see them ONCE in a while. Random tests would be a good thing for each circuit to do each year. Don't say when, just do it and not just the winning team, the top 3 teams at least.

I would think that guys that actually cheat might think twice before doing it if they were not sure there would be one or not.

Yes, we have to police ourselves, but the orgs should do their part too.

[Phil]

WELL, thats why we publish that we will have one at our tournament.................plus officials will, will be on the lake watching.,mostly 5 mph areas for speed/wakes

Jigs

[Jeff C.]

Perhaps things have changed but many years ago I learned in a class that lie detectors are not considered valid by many experts in the field.

There are some exceptions, such as when the suspect is being asked about something that only the perpetrator would know (like details of the crime), but from what I understand they aren't overly effective at detecting deception to questions such as "Did you cheat?" or "Did you steal?" Even worse than failing to detect a lie, they can give false positives if someone is overly stressed about being under suspicion in the first place.

[TWinger]

I have to agree with the many questions, but having been around the testing in law enforcement for many years I have come to learn about them and to rely on them. I am no expert however. But they are very effective when used by a trained and qualified person. They will tell the tester if the person being tested is demonstrating deception. These are based on several pre test questions that set up a base for the test. The questions asked must be something to the point, such as, did you use more then one rod during this event? Did you transport fish to help you in this event? Did you use any methods or baits not approved for this event. And so on. These questions will help eliminate false positive readings. Changes in your breathing, heart beat, body temperature and central nervous system will not be effected unless you have done what is asked. People in general place to much pressure on them selves when faced with these tests. I for one think they are great and should be used more. I read one comment about giving these randomly to keep people honest. The problem with that is, when you do spring it on someone, the rest of us then have a tedency to read into it and the rumors then go wild. Suspicion builds around someone who may not have done a thing. To keep it real and fair the test should be given to all top three places in major events or when someone protests in writing if this is part of the alligations.

[Long Nguyen]

To keep it real and fair the test should be given to all top three places in major events or when someone protests in writing if this is part of the alligations.

The real challenge with doing polygraph tests are the time limitations and costs. To do an accuarate test, the testing must be done in a quiet area, like an office or motel room. It normally takes about 45 min or longer to finish one test.

This is why the first couple of Snag Proof Opens took so long for the awards ceremony to take place. And that was just for two tests! Imagine how long you'd have to wait around for three tests. Surely you can't award the prizes then give the tests.

Each legit test runs about $250-400 depending who the person is administrating the test. The $5 collected for polygraph tests really don't cover the costs of getting them done.
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[TomAtkeson]

The problem with all of this is polygraphs arent 100% in either direction. With that said what do you do with some one that didnt "pass" the polygraph? How do you further the case against them. Think of the guy that won fairly and the polygraph read him wrong what then and what of the guy that did cheat how do you go about finding hard evidence for it?

Tom

[Curadodude]

I see that there needs to be ways of preventing cheating, but the polygraph is not always 100% correct, and as Tom said, what would the guy that won perfectly fair, do when the polygraph says he had fish tied up, or in cages?