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US Department of Defense Denies Combat Troops "Best of Class" Screening Technology, According to NACVSA

New book by Bob McCarty claims decision by former USDI Clapper to force use of old polygraph may have placed US troops in jeopardy

LEWES, Del., April 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — NACVSA — According to an explosive new book, 'The Clapper Memo' by investigative reporter Bob McCarty, then Under Secretary of Defense James Clapper signed an order that forced the US military to abandon a proven screening technology, and in its place required use of the old polygraph.  Clapper's order banned the use of the Computer Voice Stress Analyzer (CVSA) by the US military despite several years of field use by numerous US military units that proved the CVSA superior to the polygraph under combat conditions. The military units that used the CVSA included the Navy SEAL's, Army Green Berets, Marine Corps Counterintelligence, Army Intelligence, as well as top US interrogation teams at the Guantanamo Bay dentition facility.

Clapper issued this memo despite the fact the US law enforcement community had embraced CVSA for over 20 years; including major law enforcement agencies from Atlanta, Nashville, Miami, Baltimore, New Orleans, and the California Highway Patrol.  Over 1,800 US law enforcement agencies had transitioned from the old polygraph to the CVSA because of the CVSA's accuracy, versatility, portability, ease of use, and cost effectiveness.

Utilizing the CVSA, Army and Navy Special Forces were able to identify scores of infiltrators and deny them access to US targets.

One example cited in McCarty's book was that of an Army Special Forces CVSA Examiner.  While preparing for a mission with their Afghan counterparts, someone notified the enemy about the impending mission and they left the targeted area.  The Special Forces Team decided to "quarantine" all 96 of their Afghan counterparts and give each one a CVSA examination to determine if they were alerting the enemy of impending missions. Two of the Afghans could not pass the CVSA – an Afghan Lt. Colonel and his Sergeant Major.  After both were confronted, they admitted to alerting the enemy – thus confirming the results of the CVSA.  This same Special Forces operator conducted approximately 500 CVSA exams in various combat zones, and had never seen the CVSA provide incorrect results.

Although the US Federal Court system now utilizes the CVSA, and despite the fact the US Government has acknowledged voice analysis technology is a viable and accurate credibility assessment technology for border security applications, the DoD has continued to ban the CVSA.  Since the ban by Clapper, numerous peer reviewed and published scientific studies have provided proof that CVSA outperforms the polygraph.

Retired US Army Major General Paul Vallely stated "Bob McCarty has uncovered a high-tech turf war pitting those who want the best for our troops against others who seem to be focused on their own self-interests.  Sadly, it seems the wrong people are winning this war."

Further, according to a retired Navy Seal who was one of the first SEAL's to deploy to Iraq with the CVSA "Taking away the only effective tool that we had to accurately identify infiltrators and protect ourselves bordered on a criminal act.  People should be held responsible for that."

For more details on the CVSA® II and how this revolutionary crime-fighting tool is being used at over 1,800 law enforcement agencies, contact Carol at NITV Federal Services, 1-888-266-7263 or via email.

For further information on the NACVSA, contact Diana Montoya at 888-358-5025 or via email.