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U.S. Plans Polygraphs for 500 FBI Employees
Some 500 employees of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will begin taking lie- detector tests next Monday, a security response to a veteran agent 's arrest on espionage charges, FBI spokesman John Collingwood confirmed Saturday.
Last week, the FBI started notifying employees with access to confidential data, from assistant directors to clerks, of the polygraphs. Workers face reassignment if they refuse to take them.
The expanded policy follows the arrest last month of Robert Philip Hanssen, charged with spying for Russia while working in highly sensitive counterintelligence jobs.
The FBI has been criticized for failing to give Hanssen a polygraph in his 25-year career.
"With the occurrence of the Hanssen case, it's abundantly clear to everyone in the agency that we have to do this. We're not hearing complaints," Collingwood said.
FBI staff had been assured that questions would be "focused on espionage, not on lifestyle," he added.
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