Permanent Health Record

[OzBoi]

Hoping someone can give me some advice on something.
When I was a younger man I did stupid things as young men do and ended up experimenting with a range of illicit substances, I then did an even stupider thing and told my GP about it!! So, my question is, is this now forever on my permanent health record?? I am applying to join the police force here in Australia and as part of my medical I need to disclose all details regarding substance use etc. now I could just say nah never used anything, but I am signing over the right for them to request info from any GP I ever consulted... So you see my predicament.... If I lie, I'm definitely not making it into the force if they find out... If I admit to the use, then I don't know what the outcome will be. This use was back around 2008... Could that come into consideration you think?

Any advice?

Thanks lads and ladettes!!

[Java Man]

Don't lie. I lied to the county sheriff dept. once. The polygraph will give you away. In the US law enforcement agencies have a polygraph exam that all POST graduates and potential hires must pass. Maybe they don't do that in Australia. Don't know. Youre human. Many law enforcement agencies won't disqualify you solely because you have used drugs. They will if youre a liar for sure.

[OzBoi]

Hey Lava man, yeah my girl friend just said pretty much the same thing about if I lie... Hmm hopefully they look the other way seeing it was 5 years ago...

[bdos]

if you have a clean record and no black marks inbetween you should be right, everyone has a secret even police officers.

[DSM4Life]

[bdos]

looks like crazy mikes buddy

[Java Man]

The only automatic disqualification was a felony conviction. I don't know now, this was in the mid 90's when I went through the process. It takes a year to get through all 5 stages of the screening process. Don't screw that up over a little drug use. I don't think I have ever met a single person who has never tried an illegal substance at least once. If anyone ever told me that I'd hook them up to a polygraph right then. Liars!

[OzBoi]

if you have a clean record and no black marks inbetween you should be right, everyone has a secret even police officers.

Yeah, was just a silly few months as a 19 year old.

[Java Man]

GL oz. I was in LE for about 5 years in another life a long time ago. It was an experiencei wouldn't trade for anything and I gained a ton of life experience from it that has helped me in every aspect of my life since, but not something I could do all my life. Too much bullshit with thugs, stupidity, and internal politics for me. I started to hate all humans after awhile. I saw them all as low life scum, probably drunk or under the influence of anything, beats their wife and children, etc,

[EverettCD]

Don't lie. I am in public service (Fireman) but we had to take a polygraph during the hiring process. Before the test they ask you all kinds of questions like past drug use, criminal activities & any other bad shit you did in your past. They don't care that you were like most other young people, partied & did stupid stuff. All they want & need to see from the polygraph is the fact that you are honest. If you lie during the polygraph it's 99% positive that you will not get hired.

[Honkey_Kong]

The only automatic disqualification was a felony conviction. I don't know now, this was in the mid 90's when I went through the process. It takes a year to get through all 5 stages of the screening process. Don't screw that up over a little drug use. I don't think I have ever met a single person who has never tried an illegal substance at least once. If anyone ever told me that I'd hook them up to a polygraph right then. Liars!

Polygraphs are total bullshit. There is a reason why lie detector tests are not admissible as evidence in court... They are not proven to work. What they use the test for is to play a game of "good cop/bad cop" with the lie detector test being the bad cop. You know trying to worm a confession out of you or for you to get yourself caught in the story you tell. So the best thing to do is go in to the test knowing it's total bullshit and not get nervous and start changing your story when the interrogator "goes over the results of the test" with you.

[Java Man]

Polygraphs are total bullshit. There is a reason why lie detector tests are not admissible as evidence in court... They are not proven to work. What they use the test for is to play a game of "good cop/bad cop" with the lie detector test being the bad cop. You know trying to worm a confession out of you or for you to get yourself caught in the story you tell. So the best thing to do is go in to the test knowing it's total bullshit and not get nervous and start changing your story when the interrogator "goes over the results of the test" with you.

Really? How much work have you done in the real world where polygraphs were involved?

[Honkey_Kong]

Really? How much work have you done in the real world where polygraphs were involved?

I know enough about the procedure behind these tests. Here is a little reading information if you're interested:

https://antipolygraph.org/articles/article-018.shtml

Here is a ruling the US Supreme Court decided about lie-detector tests (I stole it from Wikipedia):

In the 1998 Supreme Court case, United States v. Scheffer, the majority stated that "There is simply no consensus that polygraph evidence is reliable" and "Unlike other expert witnesses who testify about factual matters outside the jurors' knowledge, such as the analysis of fingerprints, ballistics, or DNA found at a crime scene, a polygraph expert can supply the jury only with another opinion..."

Here is another bit from that Wikipedia entry:

In 2001 William Iacono, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience concluded that

Although the CQT [Control Question Test] may be useful as an investigative aid and tool to induce confessions, it does not pass muster as a scientifically credible test. CQT theory is based on naive, implausible assumptions indicating (a) that it is biased against innocent individuals and (b) that it can be beaten simply by artificially augmenting responses to control questions. Although it is not possible to adequately assess the error rate of the CQT, both of these conclusions are supported by published research findings in the best social science journals (Honts et al., 1994; Horvath, 1977; Kleinmuntz & Szucko, 1984; Patrick & Iacono, 1991). Although defense attorneys often attempt to have the results of friendly CQTs admitted as evidence in court, there is no evidence supporting their validity and ample reason to doubt it. Members of scientific organizations who have the requisite background to evaluate the CQT are overwhelmingly skeptical of the claims made by polygraph proponents.

Also:

David W. Martin, PhD, from North Carolina State University, states that people have tried to use the polygraph for measuring human emotions, but there is simply no royal road to (measuring) human emotions.[20] Therefore, since one cannot reliably measure human emotions (especially when one has an interest in hiding his/her emotions), the idea of valid detection of truth or falsehood through measuring respiratory rate, blood volume, pulse rate and galvanic skin response is a mere pretense. Psychologists cannot ascertain what emotions one has,[21] with or without the use of polygraph.

[thegodfather]

Really? How much work have you done in the real world where polygraphs were involved?

Because Polygraphy worked so well on Aldrich Ames, one of the most prolific spies in history, and was administered by arguably some of the best polygraphers the DoD has....for years...

[lovbyts]

Because Polygraphy worked so well on Aldrich Ames, one of the most prolific spies in history, and was administered by arguably some of the best polygraphers the DoD has....for years...

All you have to do is put a tack or something similar in your shoe and give it a little tap for each question you want the same reading for and it registers the same every time.

[Honkey_Kong]

All you have to do is put a tack or something similar in your shoe and give it a little tap for each question you want the same reading for and it registers the same every time.

You really don't even have to do that. You could just clinch your butt-hole muscle when you're asked a question every time and that'll cause the same spike on the chart.

But even without that, if you don't change your story when they go over the results with you and you don't hesitate, they can't prove you're lying or telling the truth. And just the fact that serial killers have no problem passing those tests should indicate that the test is BS.