Tag Archives: credibility assessment technology

Federal Government Continues to Rely Upon Technology That Likely Enabled Mexican Drug Kingpin’s Escape

The United States government relies upon polygraph technology to prevent national security breaches. At the same time, the government of Mexico relies upon polygraph to screen out “bad apples” and thwart corruption among the ranks of its law enforcement and prison officials. One needs only look at news headlines to see how well the century-old technology has worked on both sides of the border.

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Two years ago, the world learned how Edward Snowden took advantage of “truly insane” policies and defeated all of the safeguards — including multiple periodic polygraph exams — intended to prevent individuals from people like him from executing nefarious plans and damaging national security. Over the weekend, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, a billionaire drug kingpin, escaped from a maximum-security prison in Mexico for the second time, reportedly assisted by guards, all of whom have been subjected to polygraph exams as a condition of their employment. Combined, these two incidents prove little has changed since 2009, when the Los Angeles Times reported polygraph testing in Mexico inspires little confidence. Likewise, they prove little has changed since the release of my second nonfiction book, The Clapper Memo, in May 2013.

Based on four years of in-depth investigation into the federal government’s use of so-called “credibility assessment technology,” The Clapper Memo, contains irrefutable proof that a better, non-polygraph technology exists to screen government agency personnel and determine whether or not they should be allowed to remain in positions of trust.

To learn more about the no-touch, no-torture, non-polygraph technology, order a copy of The Clapper Memo.

For links to other articles of interest as well as photos and commentary, join me on Facebook and Twitter. Please show your support by buying my books and encouraging your friends and loved ones to do the same. To learn how to order signed copies, click here. Thanks in advance!

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Bob McCarty’s Weekly Recap: Jan. 25-31

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My recap for the week of Jan. 25 offers looks at a wide variety of topics — some of them radioactive! Hope you enjoy and share what you find at BobMcCarty.com!

On Jan. 25, I found a check — dated Sept. 14, 1970, and payable to yours truly that appears to have never been cashed — and decided to look up the bank online to see if I might be able to cash it today. I was astounded by what I discovered. Details in my post, Author Finds Uncashed Check in Box of Memories!

I found this check while rummaging through a box of old photos recently acquired from my parents.

Click on image above to read article.

As an author who recently spoke to law enforcement investigators from around the world about my second nonfiction book, I was intrigued by the findings of a recent scientific study about why innocent people confess to crimes. Read about it in my Jan. 26 post, Why Innocent People Confess to Crimes; Scientific Study Supports Findings of Nonfiction Book, The Clapper Memo.

Click on image above to read article.

On Jan. 27, I shared a link on my Facebook page to an article about former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko who is thought to have been poisoned with polonium-210 on Oct. 16 and Nov. 1, 2006. Along with that link, I wrote, “This reminds me of something I read — after I wrote it, that is — in my just-released crime-fiction novel, The National Bet.”

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Twenty-nine years ago this week, I was a young Air Force second lieutenant attending the Public Affairs Officer Course at the Defense Information School, then located at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis. During a break from morning classes, I gathered with a dozen or so of my classmates from the Army, Navy and Marine Corps in front of a breakroom television to watch the Space Shuttle Challenger launch. I share more details about that day in my Jan. 28 post, Challenger Disaster Recalled 29 Years Later.

This photograph of the space shuttle Challenger accident Jan. 28, 1986, was taken by a 70mm tracking camera at UCS 15 south of Pad 39B, at 11:39:16.795 EST. (NASA photo)

Click on image above to read article.

After reading about Andrew Sullivan informing his readers about his decision “to stop blogging in the near future,” I felt obligated to offer him a belated “thank you” for the sarcastic honor he conferred upon me a few years back. Find out why I thanked him in my Jan. 28 post, Former Blogger Offers Sarcastic ‘Thank You’ to Sullivan.

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On Jan. 29, I offered a look back at a subject to which Americans should pay attention as the 2016 swings into gear. Details appear under the headline, FLASHBACK 2009: Saul Alinsky’s ‘Rules for Radicals’ Reviewed.

Saul Alinsky 'Rules for Radicals' Rule 13

Click on image above to read article.

Also on Jan. 29, my attention was drawn to news about the Malaysian government declaring the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 an “accident. On my Facebook page, I wrote:

No worries. It was simply an accident. Barely a month ago at http://bobmccarty.com/?p=1654, I couldn’t help but try to draw connections between Malaysia Airlines Flight MH-370 that disappeared in March and a second Malaysia-owned jetliner that also disappeared. Do you believe MH-370 was an accident? Do you think there’s a connection between the two incidents?

The last item worth noting about Jan. 29 is the fact that I went to see the film, American Sniper, at a theater. Upon returning from that experience, I had a Facebook message conversation with Kelly Stewart, the former Army Green Beret sniper — and sniper instructor — whose life story is chronicled in my first nonfiction book, Three Days In August:

Me: “I went and saw American Sniper today. Did you see it Saturday? Thoughts? I thought it seemed a little too much Hollywood. Am I right?

Stewart: “Haven’t seen it yet. Gonna wait ’til it’s on DVD.”

Me: “I wish I had saved my money until it was at RedBox instead of wasting big $$ at theater.”

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While Chris Kyle’s exploits are legendary, the film seemed to lack the kind of emotion I expected to see. And, perhaps I’m biased, but I think Stewart’s story would make a better film.

Because another updated Weldon Spring (Mo.) Cancer Report is due to be released by early January 2016, I decided to revisit the subject of radioactive contamination dangers in the St. Louis area. Read about it in my Jan. 30 post, New Weldon Spring Cancer Report Due Out Early 2016.

Gravel-covered stairs lead to the top of the 75-foot-tall disposal cell at the Weldon Spring Site.

Click on image above to read article.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you’ll buy my books to ensure my work continues.

For links to other articles of interest as well as photos and commentary, join me on Facebook and Twitter. Please show your support by buying my books and encouraging your friends and loved ones to do the same. To learn how to order signed copies, click here. Thanks in advance!

Click on image above to order Bob’s books.

Is Speaking Out in Favor of A-10 ‘Warthog’ Treasonous?

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President Barack Obama’s purge of senior military officers who do not think like he does appears nearly complete. As evidence, I point to Air Force Maj. Gen. James Post and a comment he reportedly made about Air Force personnel exercising free speech.

An A-10 Thunderbolt II from the 442nd Fighter Wing, Whiteman AFB, Mo., flies a combat mission for Operation Enduring Freedom over Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo/1st Lt. Jeff Bellenski)

The excerpt below, which appeared in a Jan. 15 article in the Arizona Daily Independent, contains some rather inflammatory words attributed to General Post, vice commander of the U.S. Air Force’s Air Combat Command:

At the same time IraqiNews.com reported on a local source in Nineveh province who said that “the ‘Wild Boar’ aircraft which belongs to the U.S. Air Force has carried out four air strikes that killed and wounded dozens of ISIS elements, adding that the aircraft sparked panic in the ranks of ISIS, USAF officers were being told by Post, “if anyone accuses me of saying this, I will deny it . . . anyone who is passing information to Congress about A-10 capabilities is committing treason.”

An excellent follow-up piece offers more evidence of how Air Force leaders, led by Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James, seem committed to removing the A-10 “Warthog” aircraft from the war against the Islamic State despite its superior and often-proven abilities to reek havoc on members of the terror group. If only those in top leadership positions within the Air Force had read articles such as the one written by then-Maj. David Kurle and published Aug. 18, 2006, they might reconsider.

Click on image above to link to article at Defense.gov.

Of course, the Air Force officer’s article contains a quote from a veteran A-10 pilot that, according to General Post, is treasonous:

“There have been numerous occasions where our troops have been taking heavy fire and we show up, and either our presence ends the engagement or we employ against enemy positions and end the engagement,” said Air Force Col. Tony Johnson, the 455th Expeditionary Operations Group commander.

In a way, this fight against what works best (i.e., the A-10) reminds me of the fight between polygraph loyalists and backers of the credibility assessment technology that was proven to work much more effectively against detainees in the war on terror and others until, that is, it was unceremoniously banned without explanation by Department of Defense leaders. You can read more about that topic here and, in much more detail, in in my second nonfiction book, The Clapper Memo.

UPDATE 4/19/2015 at 1:22 p.m. Central: Check out the limited-time free-books offer here.

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Most of the Great People I Met in Orlando Were Cops

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Police officers across the country have received a lot of negative attention in the press in recent months, but I’m not going to add to it here. Why? Because I met some of the most interesting and dedicated people in the world Monday and Tuesday in Orlando, and most of them were law enforcement professionals of one type or another.

Chad Jeansonne (center) received the 2014 James L. Chapman Award for Excellence Tuesday from the National Association of Computer Voice Stress Analysts. Shown with him are previous award recipients Marigo Stathis and Bob McCarty.

I met approximately 80 of them after traveling to the Central Florida city to speak Tuesday afternoon during the 2015 CVSA Advanced Examiners Conference at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. I traveled over to Florida for a business trip. I was able to drive over to Florida, but some other people at the conference had taken private transport from Jettly.com. We had all traveled there to learn more about examiners. Most represented law enforcement, corrections and other agencies from across the United States as well as Canada, Mexico and a handful of other countries, but all were familiar with the non-polygraph credibility assessment technology known as the Computer Voice Stress Analyzer — or CVSA. Why? Because they are experts in conducting CVSA exams as part of criminal investigations, pre-employment screenings and efforts to monitor certain types of parolees, including sex offenders.

After I spoke for about 45 minutes on the CVSA-related subject matter of my second nonfiction book, The Clapper Memo (May 2013), I think they learned even more.

Following my presentation, one CVSA examiner received an award.

Bunkie (La.) Police Detective Chad Jeansonne received the 2014 Professor James L. Chapman Award for Excellence from the National Association of Computer Voice Stress Analysts. Named after a man recognized as the world’s foremost expert on the use of voice stress analysis before he passed away unexpectedly in April 2012, the award is given annual to an individual recognized for “Excellence in Research and Contributing to the Worldwide Body of Knowledge Concerning Voice Stress Analysis.”

In the photo above, Detective Jeansonne is flanked by yours truly and by Marigo Stathis, the neuroscientist from Baltimore who worked with Professor Chapman to complete his groundbreaking CVSA study shortly before he died.

Jeansonne is one of the many CVSA examiners I interviewed by phone during the four-year investigation that preceded the book’s release, so meeting him in person was nice.

In addition to Jeansonne, however, I also met several other individuals in person for the first time after interviewing them years earlier about their experiences as CVSA examiners. They included: Mike DeFrancisco, a fire/arson investigator from Columbus, Ohio; Bill Endler, one of the most-experienced CVSA examiners and instructors in the world; and Stathis.

Among the many others I met were two Canadians, Don Wiebe, one of the world’s leading interview and interrogation experts, and his business partner Bob Wall, a highly-decorated interview and interrogation expert with more than 30 years experience. I also Mike McQuillan, a retired Prince George’s County, Md., homicide detective who now serves as a CVSA instructor.

Of course, there were others. At the end of my two-day tripe, however, I can assure you I will share many more CVSA-related stories in the not-too-distant future, thanks largely to the folks named above. So stay tuned!

The only downside of the Orlando trip involved returning to the St. Louis area this morning to find the temperature in low double-digits.

Returning to the St. Louis area from Orlando required getting used to what felt like a 71-degree difference in temperatures.

To learn more about The Clapper Memo, order a copy today!

UPDATE 4/19/2015 at 1:23 p.m. Central: Check out the limited-time free-books offer here.

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Fictional Superheroes: Wonder Woman, Polygraph Machine

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An article about Jill Lepore’s recently-released book, The Secret History of Wonder Woman, caught my attention today for two reasons: first, I was a teenage boy when the “Wonder Woman” television series launched; and, second, I developed more than a passing interest in a technology, still in use today, that was developed by the same man who created the fictional superhero.

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Again, why did it catch my attention? Because it mentions the fact that the creator of the Wonder Woman character is none other than William Moulton Marston, the same man credited with developing the now-century-old polygraph machine.

One paragraph in the article, in particular, caught my eye:

Coincidentally I was reading a book called Born Liars: Why We Can’t Live Without Deceit when this hefty tome rocked up, and was just embarking on the section about Marston himself. Describing him as ‘irrepressibly optimistic’, it goes on to claim that the lie detector, or ‘polygraph machine’ as it was more pompously known, was so useless that in 1986 when Aldrich Ames, a CIA operative spying for the USSR, informed his paymasters that the government intended to give him a routine polygraph test, they simply advised him to get a good night’s sleep and relax. He did so and passed — and passed again, in 1991, when the CIA were carrying out a search for an internal mole (i.e. Ames himself).

Writer Julie Burchill’s explanation above of how the polygraph was a colossal failure, especially when it comes to catching people like notorious CIA spy Aldrich Ames, jives with what I shared in both a previous article and in my second nonfiction book, The Clapper Memo, which is based upon four years of exhaustive investigative work. Her mention of Marston’s name in the next paragraph, along with the phrase, “snake-oil salesman,” surely made me laugh.

Despite facts like the one involving Aldrich, the Department of Defense continues to rely on the polygraph as its only credibility assessment technology authorized for use by its employees. Why? Because, as I explained in a piece three days ago, people like Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. worked hard — and went against the advice and counsel of military and intelligence experts on the ground — to ban the use of a more-reliable and more-effective credibility assessment technology.

To learn more about this non-polygraph technology, order a copy of The Clapper Memo.

To learn what others think about the book, read some of the high-profile endorsements it has received.

If you like this article and my other efforts, please show your support by buying my books and encouraging your friends and loved ones to do the same. Thanks in advance!

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