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Council approves amendment to polygraph services agreement to reduce hiring backlog; police chief says tests are a screening tool
Summary
The council approved a first amendment and two additional polygraph vendors under the existing combined not‑to‑exceed amount of $538,260 to address a hiring backlog; the police chief said polygraphs are used in hiring to elicit disclosures, not as courtroom evidence.
The council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing a first amendment to the city’s agreement with Assurance Polygraph LLC and adding two additional polygraph providers under the existing combined not‑to‑exceed total of $538,260.
Members of the public asked why the city would spend money on polygraph services when polygraph results are inadmissible in court. The police chief (speaker 5) explained the department uses polygraph testing as an internal hiring tool to encourage disclosures and screen candidates more quickly; that process, he said, often reveals information that leads the department to disqualify applicants before hiring.
Why it matters: The contract change is intended to reduce hiring delays by adding vendor capacity; the amendment does not increase the total combined contract amount but authorizes additional vendors to avoid multi‑week backlogs that can drive candidates to other departments.
Next steps: The director of finance is authorized to adjust agreement totals between vendors based on availability so long as the combined total does not change; staff will continue to present personnel and budget decisions as needed.
