TRUTH or LIES: National Polygraph Examination Expert to Tell About It at SUU, Oct. 24

Published: October 16, 2006 | Read Time: 2 minutes

(written by Isaac Holyoak, junior Communication major from Murray, Utah)

A professional polygraph examiner will be giving a lecture on polygraph examinations at Southern Utah University in the Great Hall of the Hunter Conference Center on October 24 at 7:30 pm. A Q&A session will follow his presentation.

Jamie Skeeters, who currently serves as President of the California Association of Polygraph Examiners, has been doing polygraph examinations for more than 25 years. As a security consultant, he has conducted polygraph examinations for numerous public and private organizations including FOX News, MSNBC, the Dr. Phil Show, and The History Channel.

Skeeters served as a Police Commander in the City of Oxnard police force from 1967 to 1996. There, he received letters of commendation from Presidents Nixon, Reagan, and Clinton for honorable police service. He has also received letters of commendation from the Ventura County District Attorney Office and the Ventura Parole and Probation Departments. From 1998 to 2002, Skeeters served as the Chief of Police in the Ventura County Community College District Police. He is the owner of Security Consultant Services, Inc.

Skeeters will discuss the pros and cons of polygraph examinations, its uses, and its reliability. He recognizes the controversy surrounding polygraph examinations and will use his lecture to address many of these concerns. "A polygraph is an investigative tool. No more, no less," he says. Skeeters will also address its admissibility in court.

A polygraph is an instrument used to detect lies. It measures four physiological variables that are generally associated with anxiety: blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, and skin conductivity. The examination is based on the premise that a lie can be detected from increased levels of anxiety within an individual. Skeeters maintains that a polygraph examination is correct in 90-95 percent of cases.

The lecture will be hosted by SUU's new Master of Forensic Science program. It offers six different emphases to students interested in pursuing a career in forensic science. The program was created in Fall 2006 and is the only Master of Forensic Science program in Utah.

For more information on the Master of Forensic Science program, see http://www.suu.edu/sci/msfs/ or call 435.586.7920

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Contact Information:

435-586-5400
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