Hi all. I am considering applying for a TS/SCI with FSP. This would be through Intelligence Community. I am hopeful to get it after reading the adjudicative guidelines.
I would like to understand what types of crimes get reported if they are revealed in a polygraph. My understanding is that some crimes do get reported (like if I admit to killing someone) but they don’t report all crimes. I am trying to understand where the line is drawn.
I would also like to understand if investigators report suspected crimes committed by third parties such as family or friends. I imagine this could come up with a question like “Have you ever failed to report a crime?”
Reporting here means informing law enforcement or any other part of the government.
My first concern would be what crimes do you plan on divulging? Nobody here should be telling you what specific crimes we are required to report, but generally, there’s the imminent threat to life limb and safety that you can imagine anyone is required to report. Then there’s insider threat indications that we report and crimes of a “seriousness” nature. I can’t, nor should anyone be telling you here what those are because that’s controlled information. Be honest, transparent, and show mitigating factors that your criminal conduct has not continued and will not.
I’m not a lawyer and I don’t want to try to play one on this forum but I’d think that any attorney worth their briefcase could challenge the admissibility of such statements in court, particularly if the “subject” had not been read their rights.
That having been said, this is a bit of a cringeworthy thread… at least eyebrow-raising
I’m no lawyer either, but if someone discloses incidents of child abuse committed by relatives against themselves or other children within the family there are certain mandatory reporting issues that come up and the polygraphers may be mandated to report these crimes.
The kinds of crimes we hear of being reported to law enforcement are felonies committed within the statute of limitations. In particular, admissions to having viewed child pornography can result in law enforcement searching the electronic devices of the polygraph subject the very same day.
Are these crimes you committed or crimes you know or think you know others have committed? I can sympathize with not wanting to report the crimes others have committed, especially if the perpetrators are family members.
However, if these are crimes you committed, and they are still within the statute of limitations, then, personally, I don’t believe you should go forward with the security clearance process. I don’t think you should be trusted with a security clearance, at this time. (To be clear I am not talking about things like driving home after having too much to drink and not being stopped. I am taking about things like robbery, fraud, hit and run, etc.)
Being trusted by the US government to have access to information that has the potential to cause the US harm is a serious matter, and it is a great privilege. Not everyone is worthy of that trust. I do believe people can make positive changes in their life, and I don’t think people should pay for mistakes made for the rest of their lives. This is why I am limiting my judgment to crimes committed recently enough to still be within the statute of limitations.
I am sure I will take heat for expressing my opinion, but if I cared about that, I wouldn’t post it.
