Membership Information

General Information for members and potential members of the North Carolina Polygraph Association. For a directory listing of our members, see our Members page. If you wish to become a member of the North Carolina Polygraph Association, then fill out and submit our Member Application. Completed Applications may be submitted to any of our officers. For more information about our officers, visit our Officers page.

There are many benefits to joining a local association, the NCPA for example. Read our pamphlet for more information specifically about the NCPA!

The following is an excerpt from the NCPA By Laws. You may read them in there entirety in the By Laws page.

Article III – Membership Qualifications and Voting Rights

1. There are five (5) classes of membership: Member, Affiliate, Honorary, Life and Corporate.
   1. MEMBER
      To qualify for full privileges and standing as a MEMBER, the applicant must meet the following requirements:
      1. Must be a citizen of the United States.
      2. Must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age.
      3. Must possess at a minimum, a high school diploma or GED or equivalent.
      4. Must have completed a course of formal instruction in a school accredited by the American Polygraph Association, recognized by the American Association of Police Polygraphists, and/or approved by the North Carolina Private Protective Services Board.
      5. Must be a licensed polygraph examiner in the State of North Carolina, a licensed polygraph examiner in another state, or a police polygraph examiner in the State of North Carolina.
      6. Must not have been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude.
      7. Must have his/her application accepted and approved by the Executive Board, along with the submission of first year’s dues. The decision of the Executive Board regarding membership shall be accepted by the applicant and the membership as final.
      8. Anyone rejected for membership can not reapply for membership for a minimum of one (1) year.
      9. A member shall abide by all decisions and recommendations officially adopted by the NCPA at any regular scheduled meeting.
      10. A member shall not inquire into the sexual conduct of a person to whom a polygraph examination is being proposed or administered unless pertinent to the alleged crime specifically at issue in the examination.
      11. A member shall not include in an examination questions intended to inquire into or develop information on activities or affiliations related to union activity, religion, politics or race; except where there is specific relevancy to an investigation.
      12. To protect the privacy of each examinee, no member shall release information obtained during a polygraph examination to any unauthorized person. Authorized persons shall consist of the following:
          1. The examinee and persons specifically designated in writing by the examinee, or
          2. The person, firm, corporation, or governmental agency requesting the examination, or
          3. The membership or grievance committee of the NCPA, or
          4. Other polygraph examiners in private consultation, or
          5. Other as may be required by due process of law pursuant to the provisions of the Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988.
      13. A member shall not publish or cause to be published any false or misleading advertisements relating to the polygraph profession.
      14. A member shall not offer testimony concerning the charts or conclusions presented by another member unless he/she is thoroughly familiar with the techniques and procedures used by the other member. This paragraph shall not prohibit a member from testifying concerning his/her independent examination of the same examinee.
          
          If requested by competent authority (District Attorney, etc.), a member may review the charts and/or procedures utilized by any other examiner and render an opinion to the requesting competent authority pertaining to the technique utilized, procedures followed, and/or results based upon a review of all pertinent documentation, reports and polygraph charts.
      15. A member shall not knowingly issue or permit his/her employees to issue a polygraph examination report which is misleading, biased, or falsified in any way. Each report shall be factual, impartial, and an objective account of the pertinent information. The examiner’s professional conclusion shall be based on the hand scored analysis of the polygraph charts.
      16. A member shall be guilty of gross negligence if it be proven that he/she expressed verbally or in writing a test conclusion based solely upon subjective opinion or personal assumption.
      17. An active member must attend a minimum of one meeting per calendar year. Failure to attend one meeting results in loss of his/her right to vote. To regain the right to vote, the member must attend one meeting and is eligible to vote at the next regular meeting.
      18. A member must accumulate a minimum of six (6) hours of polygraph continuing education during each calendar year to maintain the status of ACTIVE MEMBER. Proof of training must be provided upon request.
      19. A member shall not aid or abet a person in violation of provisions “a through r” or willingly become an accessory to such a violation before or after the fact.
   2. AFFILIATE
      Persons who possess a sincere interest in the polygraph field shall be eligible for this class of membership in the NCPA. Applicants may include representatives of polygraph instrument manufacturers, personnel involved in research of polygraph instrumentations and other persons determined by the Membership Committee as having a valid, professional interest in the polygraph field.
   3. HONORARY
      These are individuals who have made significant and outstanding contributions to the polygraph profession. Any person nominated for this membership must be approved by a majority vote of the Executive Board, and approved by majority vote of the members in attendance at the NCPA meeting. Any NCPA member in good standing may suggest a nominee for Honorary membership.
      1. Honorary members shall have no voting rights in matters before the NCPA, nor are they eligible for office in the NCPA.
      2. Honorary members shall be eligible to attend all activities of the NCPA, but shall not represent themselves as being other than Honorary members.
      3. Honorary members shall be exempt from all dues and assessments of the membership.
   4. LIFE
      This class of membership is for members of the NCPA who made significant and outstanding contributions to the NCPA and to the polygraph profession. Any member nominated by the Executive Board and approved by the majority of the membership shall be eligible for this membership status.
      1. A Life member shall be exempt from all dues, fees and assessments, but shall be entitled to vote in all matters before the NCPA.
      2. A Life member shall not be eligible for office in the NCPA.
   5. CORPORATE
      Those corporations, associations, and organizations who wish to support the NCPA in its programs and efforts to defend the polygraph profession shall be eligible for this membership status.