Home » DOCJT graduates 23 students from National Polygraph Academy

DOCJT graduates 23 students from National Polygraph Academy

10-week course

RICHMOND, Ky. (June 13, 2017) — Students attending the National Polygraph Academy, hosted by the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training, traveled from eight states and Singapore to attend a 10-week study of the art and science of polygraph. The students graduated Friday after completing 400 hours of polygraph training.

9k=The NPA course provides students, “foundational knowledge necessary to administer exams, sit for state licensing exams and apply for membership in professional associations,” the NPA website states. NPA Basic Programs Director Pam Shaw said law enforcement use polygraph in a variety of ways, including an array of criminal investigations such as murder, arson, burglary, assaults and sex crimes. Many law enforcement agencies also use polygraph in pre-employment screening and internal-affairs cases.

During the 10-week course, students studied polygraph history, terminology, instruments used in testing, psychology, physiology, polygraph operations, test question construction, interview skills, polygraph techniques, test-data analysis/chart evaluations, the validity and reliability of polygraphs, ethics, quality control, countermeasures, report writing, preparing for court testimony, state polygraph laws and administrative regulations.

Kentucky has extended requirements for its polygraph examiners to become licensed, including completing an internship program and licensing exam, Shaw said. DOCJT is offering a follow-up, one-week course which began Monday about post-conviction sex offender testing.

The Department of Criminal Justice Training is a state agency located on Eastern Kentucky University’s campus. The agency is the first in the nation to be accredited under the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies’ public safety training program designation. DOCJT also earned accreditation through the International Association for Continuing Education and Training in 2013 – making it the nation’s only law enforcement training academy to achieve dual accreditation by two independent accrediting organizations.

National Polygraph Academy graduates and their agencies are:

  • Elizabeth Adams, Lexington Police Department
  • Juleen Ballance, Virginia Beach (Va.) Police Department
  • Timothy Crowell, Louisville Metro Police Department
  • Safiullah Farihullah, Singapore Customs
  • Phillip Frazier, Kentucky Law Enforcement Council
  • David Gonzalez, Iowa City (Iowa) Police Department
  • Paul Kirkdoffer, Department of Arkansas Community Corrections
  • Brian Lafferty, Kentucky Law Enforcement Council
  • Amelio Leanza, Lakewood (Ohio) Police Department
  • Kai Lim, Singapore Customs
  • Brian Lukens, Dane County (Wis.) Sheriff’s Office
  • Justin Naish, Allen County (Ind.) Police Department
  • Brian O’Dekirk, St. Louis (Mo.) Police Department
  • Shawn Pettit, Fairborn (Ohio) Police Department
  • Denni Randall, Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Police Department
  • Jack Reno, Ohio State Highway Patrol
  • Richard Riddle, Tri-state Polygraph (Ohio)
  • Jamie Roberts, Virginia Beach (Va.) Police Department
  • Joe Robinson, Jonesboro (Ark.) Police Department
  • William Rodriguez, Los Angeles (Calif.) Sheriff’s Office
  • Michael Webb, Kentucky State Police
  • Matthew Williams, Lexington Police Department
  • Chris Williams, Ohio State Highway Patrol