Douglas Gene Williams (October 6, 1945 – March 19, 2021) was an American critic of

polygraph test A polygraph, often incorrectly referred to as a lie detector test, is a device or procedure that measures and records several physiological indicators such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while a person is asked an ...

s. Williams administered polygraph tests for US law enforcement and private companies but came to consider the tests unreliable and harmful. He subsequently quit and spent decades publicly condemning polygraph tests and commercially teaching techniques purported to affect test results. Williams' activism included appearing on ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...

'' and testifying before a US Congressional subcommittee. His teaching business led him to be the target of a federal

sting operation In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person attempting to commit a crime. A typical sting will have an undercover law enforcement officer, detective, or co-operative member of the public play a role a ...

in 2012 and 2013, in which agents announced intentions to use his methods to lie in polygraph tests to conceal crimes and maintain government employment. Williams provided instruction to the agents, and in 2015, he was convicted on multiple counts of

mail fraud Mail fraud and wire fraud are terms used in the United States to describe the use of a physical or electronic mail system to defraud another, and are federal crimes there. Jurisdiction is claimed by the federal government if the illegal activit ...

and

witness tampering Witness tampering is the act of attempting to improperly influence, alter or prevent the testimony of witnesses within criminal or civil proceedings. Witness tampering and reprisals against witnesses in organized crime cases have been a difficul ...

and sentenced to two years in prison. According to AntiPolygraph.org, Williams resumed publicly providing polygraph-taking instruction after his supervised release ended in 2020. He died in 2021 following an illness and was cremated.

Bibliography

* (2014) ''From Cop to Crusader: My Fight Against the Dangerous Myth of "Lie Detection."'' Wise Media Group. * (2020) ''How to Sting the Polygraph.'' Polygraph.com.

References

1945 births 2021 deaths American activists Polygraphy

External links

Archive of Official website as at 1 February 2021
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