Opposing Viewpoints – Officers need every tool possible when it comes to solving crime

If someone burglarized my home, I would want police officers to have access to the best equipment in the world in hopes of apprehending the culprit.

I would expect nothing less than the person, or people, responsible to be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

If having a voice stress analyzer, or lie detector, helps police accomplish this goal, then I support it 100 percent. If we expect officers to solve crimes ‘ and I know we do ‘ then let’s give them the best technology available. If $10,000 can help catch the thief who broke into my home, it’s a small price.

Here’s a quick fact that’s important to remember when it comes to law enforcement ‘ confessions are a police officer’s best friend. It’s how most crimes are solved.

Despite anything you might see on TV police shows about enhancing computer images or analyzing micro-fibers, that showmanship is largely for entertainment purposes only. As simple as it may seem, most crimes are solved because someone on the inside gives police a tip, or because someone confesses.

A lie detector might be the final piece to the puzzle to push someone into a confession.

Police: ‘Look Mugsy, we know you did it.’

Mugsy: ‘I didn’t do it. It wasn’t me, man.’

Police: ‘We know it was you, Mugsy. You don’t have an alibi. And you even failed your lie detector test. How can you explain that’?

Mugsy: ‘OK ‘ well I guess you got me.’

It’s also crucial to note that in this day where it’s become popular to file a false police report, a lie detector might keep some fabricated cases from making their way through our judicial system. If that happens, I’m sure the wrongly accused would be most appreciative.

When you look at this argument from every angle, I cannot tell a lie. The voice stress analyzer is a smart investment.