March 10th, 2013
12:25 AM ET

Police in Tenn. town must take polygraphs

After a series of problems that included a police officer using a racial slur, the new police chief in a Tennessee town is trying to clean up his department's image by requiring all applicants to take a polygraph test.

"I felt that it would help me to select people with good moral character to be police officers," Chief Shane Sullivan told CNN on Saturday. "The town's had enough bad happen to it, and I want to rebuild the department and give them professional law enforcement."

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Filed under: Crime • Justice • Tennessee
soundoff (15 Responses)
  1. BOMBO

    This is already being done in some police departments.

    March 10, 2013 at 1:28 am | Report abuse |
  2. BOMBO

    In Edmonton, they ask questions such as the famous one Bob Costas asked Jerry Sandusky.

    March 10, 2013 at 1:29 am | Report abuse |
  3. fernace

    Why not! Maybe it should be adopted by all police departments!!

    March 10, 2013 at 9:50 am | Report abuse |
  4. banasy©

    Good luck with that, Chief.
    I don't see a problem with that; there are many places that require a polygraph as a condition of employment. Why should the police, who hold a position of authority, be any less culpable?
    When I think about it, it wouldn't hurt to have the DC politicos take one, lol.

    March 10, 2013 at 3:17 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Portland tony

    Polygraph testing is not necessarily an exact science. It maybe useful in screening new applicants for tendencies to embellish on facts, but by no means is it an accurate measurement of truth telling. STUPID?

    March 10, 2013 at 5:41 pm | Report abuse |
    • banasy©

      This is why it isn't admissible in a court of law. That being said, I do think that it could be useful in finding out who has a knee-jerk reaction to an ethnic slur...these beliefs re deeply ingrained, and is hard for someone to not react to this kind of stimuli.
      For instance, in asking the Mark Furhman question, it might very difficult for one hide their reaction.
      No, I don't think it is particularly stupid.

      March 10, 2013 at 6:19 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Beautiful

    I think that is a wonderful thing.start with Venice, Madison and Granite City Illinois. Badly needed. Please Help Us. Race Race Race. Blacks still get beat picked on and threw in jail for nothing. A cry for help Please

    March 10, 2013 at 6:19 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Beautiful

    Time to take actions with the police departments in VENICE ILLINOIS, MADISON ILLINOIS,GRANITE CITY ILLINOIS and COLLINSVILLE ILLINOIS

    March 10, 2013 at 6:24 pm | Report abuse |
    • Bubba

      Don't forget LA and NYC

      March 10, 2013 at 9:19 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Counterpoint

    I think he's lying.

    March 10, 2013 at 8:40 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Bubba

    They should give all cops polygraph tests. Why not?

    Because then there would be no police force left.

    March 10, 2013 at 9:14 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Bubba

    Absolutely give them all polygraphs...

    That's would be the best gun control Law in the country.

    Except for requiring every taxpayer to own a gun.

    March 10, 2013 at 9:18 pm | Report abuse |
  11. Bubba

    It really is very simple..

    If: YOU HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE...

    March 10, 2013 at 11:14 pm | Report abuse |
  12. tvnyc

    They should have that for all cops. I got beat up by cops in the state of NY 🙁 changed my life for the worse

    March 10, 2013 at 11:47 pm | Report abuse |
  13. i teen talk

    Thanks for revealing your ideas. The first thing is that scholars have a solution between national student loan and a private student loan where it truly is easier to opt for student loan online debt consolidation than with the federal education loan.

    March 19, 2013 at 3:19 pm | Report abuse |
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