DHS Blows $5 Mil on Polygraphs for “Unsuitable” Job Applicants Who Admit Criminal Acts, Drug Use

securityJudicial Watch – The front-line Homeland Security agency charged with keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the United States wasted $5 million on lie detector tests for “unsuitable” job candidates that admitted committing criminal acts or drug use. This is disturbing for several reasons, mainly that this crucial agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), is an essential part of the nation’s security yet it considers hiring agents with criminal histories. Secondly, it’s an inexcusable waste of taxpayer dollars, though that’s a government-wide epidemic hardly limited to this agency.

CBP functions under the immense Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and has some 60,000 employees, making it one of the world’s largest law enforcement organizations. Its duty is to safeguard America’s borders while enabling legitimate trade and travel, a monumental task that requires precision and good judgement.

On a typical day, CBP checks over 67,000 cargo containers, seizes nearly six tons of illicit drugs and screens about a million visitors to the U.S. Agents work in land borders, airports and seaports and they consider themselves the “guardians of our nation’s borders,” as well as “America’s frontline.” Undoubtedly, it’s a critical job that requires topnotch personnel—with clean criminal backgrounds—dedicated to the mission. Continue reading