SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::
The GRIP has learned that Tyler Cooper, a former officer of the Griffin Police Department, indicated deception on every question asked during his preemployment computer voice stress analysis (CVSA) – a form of polygraph examination.
Although the city of Griffin has for nearly seven months refused to release Cooper’s CVSA, The GRIP verified the outcome of that examination through other records.
GPD Chief Mike Yates has been credited with reviewing each page of Cooper’s records that were approved for release to The GRIP under the Open Records Act. Yates is also responsible for citing two federal laws that he alleges prohibit the release of Cooper’s CVSA and Personnel Evaluation Profile (PEP), or psychological evaluation.
However, contained within the records Yates did approve for release was a report generated by Sgt. Joe Hudson, who in August 2016 was responsible for conducting the pre-hiring processes.
Within that report – the file review – was information regarding Cooper’s application, former employers, references, criminal history, driver’s history, physical agility test, Facebook inquiry, Google inquiry, oral assessment board, the PEP psychological evaluation and CVSA.
The actual CVSA and psychological evaluation had been removed from the record, but Hudson’s report – the synopsis/investigator’s comments – referenced Cooper having been sent to the Lagrange Police Department for a polygraph.
Hudson indicates Cooper was “very helpful and courteous” during the investigation, supplied all paperwork in a timely manner and was spoken of “very highly” by his references. Hudson later references having questioned Greg Corbit, the LaGrange PD polygraph examiner, who reported that Cooper “did very well on the exam showing no deception.”
“I explained to Mr. Corbit how the candidate (Cooper) showed deception on the voice stress for every question, even the control questions, like, “Am I wearing a tie and do I have a mustache?” Hudson reported. “Mr. Corbit advised this is because the candidate (Cooper) thinks so deeply about the questions and everything else.”
Unlike the city of Griffin, the LaGrange Police Department immediately released all records related to Cooper’s polygraph examination including the pretest written responses, the pretest verbal interview, video recording of his practice exams, video of the formal polygraph test and Corbit’s written evaluation of Cooper’s responses.
Despite Corbit’s assertion that Cooper showed no deception on his polygraph examination, The GRIP has reviewed the full test and discovered inconsistencies with information contained within Cooper’s employment records. An article detailing those issues, as well as the response of Griffin City Manager Kenny Smith, will be published Sept. 14.
