13 Tested On City Polygraph Machine

Thirteen persons have taken tests on the Ann Arbor Pólice Department's He detector machine in the first month of operatipn. Deputy Pólice Chief Harold E. Olson, who was instrumental in obtaining the unit at no I cost to the city, says it is expected the machine will be used at an increasing pace as couhty pólice agencies become aware of its availability. All pólice departments in Washtenaw County were notified by letter last month that I the machine and its operator, Detective Staf f Sgt. Alroy I Vanderpool, would be [_blejn any criminal case. ,3 püuce "We feel the polygraph is a valuable tooi in any criminal investigation and one which can be a vital aid to officers," Olsen says. "As the department with the first such operation in Washtenaw County we hope to prove by results the soundness of its use." Eleven of the first 13 cases in which the lie detector was used here were originated by the Ann Arbor pólice. Eight of the 13 examinations showed a deception by the person taking the test and in two of the cases the subject confessed to the operator, Detective Staff I Sgt. Alroy Vanderpool, that he was guilty, Olson said. One examination had an "inconI clusive" result, he noted. Crimes involved in the tests given included breaking and entering, an arson, assaults and larcenies. The Independent Insurance Agents of Ann Arbor was one of a number of local business organizations which contribuíI ed to a $6,000 fund to purchase the machine and to train its operator, Sgt. Vanderpool. The Ann Arbor Trust Co. also was a contributor which volunteered funds after a federal-state grant request for a polygraph for Ann Arbor was denied.