American Polygraph Association

What Is the American Polygraph Association?

The American Polygraph Association (APA) is the world's largest and most influential professional organisation for polygraph professionals. With approximately 2,800 members from law enforcement, government, and the private sector, the APA serves as the profession's primary standards-setting, accreditation, and advocacy body.

History

Incorporated in 1966 in Washington, D.C., the APA resulted from the merger of several earlier polygraph associations, including the Academy of Scientific Interrogation, the American Academy of Polygraph Sciences, the National Board of Polygraph Examiners, the International Association of Polygraph Examiners, and the International Association for Polygraph Research. It is currently headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Functions

The APA performs several critical functions for the polygraph profession. It establishes and maintains Standards of Practice that define minimum requirements for examination procedures, instrumentation, and reporting. It publishes and enforces the Code of Ethics governing professional conduct. It accredits polygraph training schools through an inspection and review process. It publishes Polygraph, the profession's peer-reviewed scientific journal. And it hosts annual seminars that provide continuing education and present the latest research findings.

Impact on the Profession

The APA has been instrumental in the profession's shift from authority-based practices to evidence-based methodology. Through its meta-analytic reviews of polygraph research, the APA identifies which techniques have sufficient scientific validation for field use — its list of validated techniques is the reference standard used by federal agencies and private practitioners worldwide.