Criminal Police Bureau's Polygraph Expert Kraujalis Loves His Job - MRU
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28 October, 2022
Criminal Police Bureau’s Polygraph Expert Kraujalis Loves His Job
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While studying in the Lithuanian Police Academy's (now Mykolas Romeris University) Master's Degree programme Criminal Police Bureau Senior Detective and polygraph expert Laimutis Kraujalis chose to write his final Master's thesis on "Lie Detector Methods: Theory and Practice." Due to this paper, he was noticed and in 1998 invited to the General Inspector's Office under Lithuania's Ministry of Interior. He was sent to raise his professional credentials and train in the U.S. where he completed polygraph specialist courses.  Currently he is the only polygraph expert in Lithuania investigating crimes, during which he says he tries to determine those who are lying and those who are telling the truth.

A polygraph examiner conducts polygraph tests, better known as lie detector tests. As highly-trained and disciplined technicians, they often give these tests to witnesses, suspects and other individuals involved in a criminal trial.

In 2001 Kraujalis transferred to work in the Police Department where he undertook the first investigations using a polygraph. His main work as a polygraph specialist began in April of 2011. For 5 years he has been undertaking this job alone.

Asked about a typical day on the job he said that he analyzes the latest investigative material, information about the suspect, checks his equipment, prepares and includes questions in the polygraph programme, prepares the investigation room and undertakes the investigation during which he questions the suspect. Then tests are given, the data analyzed, a post-polygraph discussion ensues and conclusions are written out. When there is less work, he conducts court ruling analysis and reads specialized literature.

"I really love what I do," he said. "If I didn't like it, I couldn't work for a long time in this field," he added.

"Work - especially during an investigation, requires a huge amount of concentration, resources," he said. "If there are terribly brutal cases, you have to overcome stress and carefully control your psychological state," he said.