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An IG report has questioned the quality controls in CBP’s polygraph testing of job applicants for law enforcement positions, although adding that the large majority of complaints about the program–mostly lodged by rejected candidates–were unfounded or too ambiguous to assess.
The exams consist of a preliminary interview to test the equipment and familiarize the job candidate with it; questioning on topics relevant to suitability for the position; and a review of the results between the examiner and the candidate.
A final step is a review by quality assurance personnel to determine whether the test complied with federal and CBP standards and certify the results. However, the IG found that the quality control program “may not have always conducted independent and objective reviews (blind reviews) of polygraph examination results, as required.”
The IG added that of the 157 complaints it examined, 130 were not sufficiently specific to assess, 21 were incorrect, and only six were proven true. Of those, however, CBP “adequately addressed” only one–allowing the candidate to retake the test–because it “did not have a formal complaint review process, which led to inconsistent and subjective reviews” of those complaints.
The report said that management agreed with its recommendations to address quality control and the complaint review process.
The report also raised a point also made by some in Congress, that the testing–required by law since 2010–has had the side effect of slowing down the process and contributing to the agency’s difficulties in filling those positions. Of applicants screened out, only 10 percent were rejected due to polygraph testing, with the entrance exam accounting for about half, pre-screening about a quarter, and medical, fitness and other reasons accounting for the rest.