200-13 Polygraph Examinations

Question 1

Employees shall follow the procedural guidelines outlined in this General Order to ensure compliance with rules and regulations of the ____ and the____.

Answer 1

Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) and the Polygraph Law Enforcement Accreditation (PLEA) program.

Question 2

Unless stated otherwise in this General Order, all polygraph examinations performed by department personnel shall adhere to the following guidelines.

a.
All polygraph examination requests shall be made by a ____to a representative of the department’s Polygraph Unit.

Answer 2

representative of the concerned division

Question 3

Unless stated otherwise in this General Order, all polygraph examinations performed by department personnel shall adhere to the following guidelines.

b.
An authorized representative of the division making the request shall…

Answer 3

accompany the examinee to the Polygraph Unit and ensure that the examinee has valid photo identification.

Question 4

Unless stated otherwise in this General Order, all polygraph examinations performed by department personnel shall adhere to the following guidelines.

c.
The division representative shall furnish the examiner with a copy of all…

Answer 4

pertinent information, incident reports, all statements, and any other information necessary to conduct a valid examination.

Question 5

Unless stated otherwise in this General Order, all polygraph examinations performed by department personnel shall adhere to the following guidelines.

d.
The division representative shall remain readily available to the examiner throughout the examination. In the event the representative is not available, an…

Answer 5

alternate point of contact must be available

Question 6

Polygraph examination requests by HPD Internal Affairs personnel shall have priority over…

Answer 6

all other polygraph requests

Question 7

Chapter ____of the Texas Local Government Code and the ____ govern the manner in which the Houston Police Department conducts polygraph examinations of classified employees.

Answer 7

1) 143

2) Meet and Confer Agreement

Question 8

Other divisions of the department shall not ask the Polygraph Unit to test any department personnel or any person making allegations or complaints against department personnel without ____.

Answer 8

prior approval of Internal Affairs

Question 9

Requests for polygraph examinations in criminal cases being investigated by HPD shall have priority over all requests except…

Answer 9

those made by Internal Affairs

Question 10

Polygraph examination requests by the City of Houston Office of Inspector General (OIG) shall be given priority consideration after…

Answer 10

examination requests for HPD Internal Affairs and criminal cases.

Question 11

Requests for pre-employment polygraph examinations of Police Department applicants shall be made by only the ____ for civilian applicants and the ____ for cadet applicants. It is not necessary for the division representative to accompany the examinee to the polygraph offices.

Answer 11

Employee Services Division for civilian applicants and the Recruiting Division for cadet applicants

Question 12

Requests by the City Legal Department for polygraph examinations of City personnel or of persons making allegations or complaints against City personnel shall be given priority consideration after examination requests for…

Answer 12

HPD Internal Affairs and criminal cases, and OIG

Question 13

The procedures applicable to City Legal Department requests are as follows:

a.
All requests from the City Legal Department shall be made by the ____ or ____, or ____.

b.
An authorized representative of the City Legal Department shall____.

Answer 13

1) City attorney, or one of the assistants, or through the Inspector General

2) accompany the examinee

Question 14

Polygraph examination requests by other departments of the City of Houston shall be made in writing to…

Answer 14

the City of Houston Legal Department.

Question 15

Polygraph examination requests made by other law enforcement agencies shall be in writing to the ____.

Except for unusual circumstances, the authorized representative who accompanies the examinee shall be from ____.

Except for unusual circumstances, examinations shall not be conducted for an agency having access to a ____ within its own jurisdiction.

Answer 15

1) HPD Polygraph Unit

2) the requesting agency

3) polygraph examiner

Question 16

Polygraph examination requests by the District Attorney’s Office must be made by a person having the rank of…

Answer 16

division chief or higher in the District Attorney’s Office.

Question 17

(DA’s Office polygraph exam request)

When the request concerns a case in which charges were filed by the Houston Police Department, the District Attorney’s Office shall…

Answer 17

direct a written request to the concerned division.

The division shall then follow the prescribed guidelines in the above subsection, “Other Law Enforcement Agencies.”

Question 18

(DA’s Office polygraph exam request)

When the request relates to a case in which charges were filed by another Harris County law enforcement agency, the District Attorney’s Office shall…

Answer 18

make the request in writing to the concerned agency.

Guidelines in the above subsection, “Other Law Enforcement Agencies” shall then be followed.

Question 19

When the requested polygraph examination involves a case being investigated exclusively by the District Attorney’s Office, the following shall apply:

a.
The request shall be made in writing to the ____.

b.
An investigator from the District Attorney’s Office shall ____.

Answer 19

1) supervisor of the Polygraph Unit

2) be the authorized representative

Question 20

Any information, reports, or statements given to the polygraph examiner to conduct an
examination are strictly confidential. The release of any such information shall be handled by only…

Answer 20

the authorized representative

Question 21

Any exception to the above listed policies and procedures may be approved by only the Chief of Police or in the Chief’s absence by the following in descending order of availability:

a.
Executive assistant chief, ____

b.
Assistant chief, ____

c.
Captain, ____

d.
Supervisor of____

Answer 21

1) Strategic Operations

2) Professional Development Command

3) Recruiting Division

4) the Polygraph Unit