This afternoon, I will interview James Chapman, a man who believes that, if President Obama is serious about improving the nation's counterterrorism capabilities, civilian and military, he will make sure that, going forward, those capabilities include Computer Voice Stress Analysis® technology.
Chapman, a board member of the National Association of Computer Voice Stress Analysts and former director of the Criminal Justice Program and the Forensic Crime Laboratory at the State University of New York in Corning, is widely recognized as one of the world's foremost authorities on CVSA technology and has used it from the time it was first developed in 1989 through several evolutions of refinement. In addition, he's used CVSA to solve many crimes that the use of traditional polygraph did not.
He is not alone as a strong advocate of the portable, computer-based system that end-users -- including more than 1,800 law enforcement agencies -- say offers a more accurate and more versatile solution for assessing potential human threats than the 60-plus-year-old polygraph technology.
As a veteran interested in ensuring the safety and security of our nation and those fighting for it, I've developed a keen interest in this technology due to two key reasons:
1. The fact that it appears to represent a vast improvement over polygraph; and
2. The appearance of a widespread effort by DoD bureaucrats during President George W. Bush's last term to oppose the adoption of CVSA for reasons other than performance. For more background about CVSA technology, read the eye-opening series of posts below which date back to April 9, 2009:
- Is Tech ‘Turf War’ Putting U.S. Troops at Risk? -- I highlight one man's belief that U.S. combat troops are at greater risk today as a result of an Army decision to deploy the hand-held lie detector known as "PCASS" one year ago.
- Will Military Continue Stonewalling on Lie Detector? -- This former Air Force public affairs officer familiar with staffing media questions chronicles two weeks of stonewalling on the part of DoD officials and wonder if they will finally provide answers about the use of hand-held lie detectors in combat zones.
- If Not for Memo, Torture Might Not Be An Issue -- I show how the question of whether torture should be allowed to be used during interrogations might be largely irrelevant today if not for a DoD memo signed Oct. 29, 2007.
- If Not for Memo, Torture Might Not Be Issue (Part 2) -- I continue to explain how a DoD "turf war" is keeping the best interrogation technology out of the hands of America's top warfighters and intelligence specialists. In addition, I include testimonials from current members of the Special Forces community and others who attest to CVSA's superior performance.
- Federal Judge Approves Use of Advanced Lie Detection Equipment During Interrogation of Sex Offender; Army Still Says ‘No’ to CVSA -- I detail how a federal judge became the most-recent convert to CVSA technology for interrogation and ask why officials at the Pentagon still say "No" to CVSA.
- Attorney Calls for Formal Investigation of DoD Contract for Study of Portable Lie Detectors -- I cast the spotlight on the efforts of Washington, D.C.-based attorney calling for an investigation of events leading to the award of a DoD contract for portable lie detectors used in combat.