FOLEY, Ala. - Cpl. Tony Nelson of the Foley PD Investigations Unit said many criminals think they can outsmart a polygraph test. If one uses the phrase "polygraph test" into a Google search, the second listing is antipolygrah.org, which is described as a Website dedicated to teaching people how to pass a polygraph test.

    However, the overconfidence is always misguided and leads to a failed polygraph test if the examinee is guilty, Nelson said, and he trusts the machine to provide the correct indications when someone is telling the truth or attempting to deceive the examiner.

    The group of residents participating in the Citizens Police Academy, hosted by the Foley Police Department, learned a bit more about how polygraph tests work and the difference between an interrogation and interview Thursday during the halfway mark in the program.

    Patty Martin learned first hand how effective a polygraph test can be.    

    Martin hooked up to the mechanism as residents watched the test results appear on a projector as each question was asked and each answer given. The test comprised of Nelson asking "yes" or "no" questions about a series of numbers and Martin answering whether she wrote the numbers on the board. The only number Martin wrote was the number four, and when (name) lied and said she did not write the number, the testing mechanism caught noted the attempted deception.

    "We were all taught as kids to tell the truth," Nelson said. "It is subconsciously not normal for our body to lie."

    Types of polygraph testing began as early as 710 AD in the Middle East, Nelson said, but it did not use a machine. Instead, when a crime was committed, the leader of a community would ask everyone to walk into a tent and pull on a donkey's tail. Everyone was told if the donkey brayed, that person was guilty. However, they were not told that oil or grease was on the tail, and whoever did not pull the tail out of fear was the guilty person and they would not have any substance on their hands after exiting the tent.

    The polygraph test detects changes in the body that indicate deception. The body and mind is trained to tell the truth, Nelson said, so any lie ignites body changes.

    The crimes that a polygraph test can help solve include: abductions; thefts; and murders. The process is the examinee will meet the examiner and is read the rights and signs a consent form. Then, the examinee goes through a pre-test process, which involves questions about mental status, health and background. Then, the examinee takes the test, which lasts around 3-5 minutes. After, the results — which could be "deception indicated," "no deception indicated" or "inconclusive" — are determined. The entire process can last up to 4 hours.

    Some people who cannot be tested include: mental patients; those under the influence of alcohol or drugs; those whoa re sleep deprived; and pregnant women.

    Nelson also spoke about the difference between an interview and an interrogation.

    An interview is non-accusatory, and it is solely for the officer to gather information regarding an incident or crime and usually has a relaxed atmosphere and lasts around 1-2 hours.

    An interrogation is accusatory, and it involves a direct confrontation and there is no time frame.

    "Sometimes you have a tougher scenario and you have to raise your voice," Nelson said.

    All accusatory questions must be preceded by the reading or the Miranda rights.

    "If I haven't read him that miranda, and I ask him one simple question about a crime, from here on out everything can get thrown out," Nelson said.

    Some of the different methods of interrogation are: question and answer; narrative, where the suspect tells his or her story three or four times without interruption; asking about an alibi; confronting with facts; having the suspect tell the story backwards; and the bluff method.