Report: CBP Spent More Than $5 Million on Unnecessary Lie Detector Tests

Customs and Border Protection spent more than $5 million on lie detector tests for applicants that had already admitted to being guilty of drug use or criminal activity, accordint to a report by the Department of Homeland Security.

The report said that 2,300 applicants that were given lie detector tests between 2013 and 2016 had already admitted to having a history of drug use or criminal activity that automatically made them ineligible to become border patrol agents.

According to CBP data, the 2,300 applicants admitted to crimes such as illegal drug use, drug smuggling, human trafficking, and to being in close personal relationships with people who have committed those crimes.

One polygraph test costs $2,200, which puts the total price of the unnecessary tests at $5.1 million, according to the report.

"This occurred because CBP's process did not stop, and is not sufficient to prevent, unsuitable applicants from continuing through the polygraph examination," said John Roth, the inspector general, according to Business Insider.

The DHS recommended pre-interviews, so that the only applicants who take the lie-detector tests are those who are highly likely to be accepted into the patrol.

Homeland Security looked at a sample of 380 polygraph tests to make the conclusion, the report said.

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