PANEL URGES COUNCIL TO OK POLYGRAPHS FOR POLICE RECRUITS.Byline: Alexa Haussler Staff Writer Reacting to the Rampart Division police scandal, a City Council committee recommended Wednesday that all police recruits take lie detector tests lie detector test n. a popular name for a polygraph which tests the physiological reaction of a person to questions asked by a testing expert. A potential or actual criminal defendant or possible witness cannot be forced or ordered to take a lie detector test. . The council's Budget and Finance Committee forwarded its recommendation to the full council, which is likely to approve the polygraph An instrument used to measure physiological responses in humans when they are questioned in order to determine if their answers are truthful. Also known as a "lie detector," the polygraph has a controversial history in U.S. law. policy Friday, officials said. ``It's especially important that we do a better job in screening our candidates for the Police Academy,'' said Councilman Mike Feuer, chairman of the committee. ``The polygraph will assist us in assuring that we have officers who are going to be trustworthy and uphold the best principles for the Police Department.'' Police Chief Bernard C. Parks Bernard Parks (born December 7, 1943 in Beaumont, Texas) is a member of the Los Angeles City Council, representing the 8th District in South Los Angeles and former Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. Parks attended Los Angeles City College, received his B.S. and Mayor Richard Riordan Richard J. Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is a Republican politician from California, U.S. who served as the California Secretary of Education from 2003–2005 and as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993–2001. Riordan ran for Governor of California unsuccessfully in 2002. have pushed for the lie detector tests for new recruits since the Rampart Division police corruption Police corruption is a specific form of police misconduct sometimes involving political corruption, and generally designed to gain a financial or political benefit for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest. scandal revealed that officers might have lied under oath and framed alleged gang members. ``The department believes this program will play an extremely important part in providing thorough and in-depth background checks on candidates,'' according to a report prepared by William Fujioka, director of the city's Office of Administrative and Research Services. The committee approved earmarking  It has been suggested that some sections of this article be split into a new article entitled Earmark (USA). $433,320 to hire and train examiners and launch the testing program for all new recruits. The money would come from $6.8 million set aside in the current $4.1 billion city budget for Rampart-related reforms. The Police Protective League, the union that represents many Los Angeles police officers, supports the measure. |
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