There is a good reason that most courts are very skeptical of lie detector tests, and that they are tossed out from evidence much more often than admitted. I would like to be certain of the truth, but I don’t think that is sufficiently reliable. The police have so far maintained that they believe the family has all been truthful. Surely there will be more thought about that, but so far I think that the police judgment should be given deference here.
The sheriff's announcement included an admission that authorities misled the media on Friday when they said they still believed it was not a hoax. After Falcon's remark on CNN Thursday night, "it became very clear to us at that point that they were lying," Alderden said.The "nonverbal responses" and "verbal cues" from the children at that moment made it clear, Alderden said.
But to get to the truth, "it was very important during this time that they maintained their trust with us." So investigators misled the media while they carried out their "game plan" of gathering the truth.
That plan included pursuing separate interviews with the Heene parents and polygraph tests, partly by arguing that it could help end the media frenzy surrounding them, Alderden said. He added that by law he could not say whether those tests were taken.
Charges have not been filed, but authorities expect to recommend felony charges including conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and attempting to influence a public servant, Alderden said. They also plan to recommend a charge of filing a false police report, which is a misdemeanor.