Converus Appoints Credibility Assessment Expert and former Police Officer Mark Handler as Director of Professional Services
Handler, a long-time and well-respected polygraph trainer and examiner, plans to emphasize EyeDetect as an additional tool for credibility assessment professionals.
Mark Handler, a former police officer and polygraph examiner, says EyeDetect improves the credibility assessment process and is urging polygraph examiners to add it to their arsenal.
LEHI, Utah – Aug. 8, 2016 – Mark Handler, a former police officer and polygraph examiner, joins Converus as Director of Professional Services beginning today. His duties will include managing professional services, such as consulting and training, as well as technical product management. His overarching goal is to help accelerate Converus’ EyeDetect lie detection technology as a significant player in the credibility assessment industry, long been dominated by polygraph.
Handler currently serves as the American Association of Police Polygraphists’ (AAPP) research and information chairman and sits on the board for the American Polygraph Association (APA) as the editor in chief. He’s also an independent polygraph instructor. As a researcher, he has published dozens of technical and scientific articles. He’ll continue to function in all of these roles, but will step down from his position as a Converus Advisory Board member.
“We’re not just polygraph examiners. We’re credibility assessment professionals,” said Handler, who plans to help the polygraph community see the bigger picture. “The federal government seems to have realized this. That’s why the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute changed its name to Defense Academy of Credibility Assessment, which is today now known as the National Center for Credibility Assessment.”
When Handler first heard of EyeDetect, the world’s first ocular-motor based lie detection technology, he had his doubts. But when he learned Dr. John Kircher was behind it, he felt that immediately gave the technology credibility. Dr. Kircher, along with Dr. David Raskin, are credited with inventing the first computerized polygraph in 1991.
“Throughout the years, many have tried to create credibility assessment tools and methods, and these have not amounted to anything. For that reason, I was skeptical at first when EyeDetect came along,” said Handler. “But the big difference this time is it was developed by John Kircher. I’ve known John for years and have tremendous respect for him. He is the consummate scientist. When I saw he originally conceived the concept behind EyeDetect and I read the numerous peer-reviewed studies validating the technology, I was hopeful there was actually something to it.
“For all intents and purposes, EyeDetect is an independent, psychometric test when compared to the polygraph and, as a result, can be used to improve the credibility assessment process,” he said. “My ultimate goal is to leave the credibility assessment profession better than I found it. EyeDetect provides tremendous potential for improving the process, especially when coupled with polygraph.”
For years Handler has been studying and writing articles on this topic. After studying the EyeDetect technology, he wrote a paper about “successive hurdles,” which discusses using EyeDetect and polygraph to produce outcome confidences in testing that are as high as 99 percent. His paper highlighted Dr. Raskin’s prescience when in the 1980s Dr. Raskin voiced concerns over outcome confidence of credibility assessment testing. Depending on the prior probability of the test target, the confidence in a test result can be very low or very high. Handler hopes to help the larger credibility assessment community understand and tackle this concept.
“Ultimately, we want to put good people in uniform, give good people clearances, or give those following probation or parole rules good test results — and keep the bad people out of uniform and from getting security clearances, and keep those who are violating probation or parole under closer watch,” said Handler. “I think the well-read credibility assessment professional will see EyeDetect as an adjunct tool to improve their outcome confidence and better advise their customers.”
Handler says some may see EyeDetect as a challenge to their livelihood.
“To those, I would just ask them, ‘Are you a polygraph examiner, or are you a credibility assessment professional?’ I would hope they want to be a credibility assessment professional who sees a broader perspective and is dedicated to helping a customer make a better decision. That’s really what we do,” Handler said. “EyeDetect will help produce better decisions, and those in the credibility assessment profession should take the time to learn more about it and consider adding it to their business.”
Handler’s law enforcement career started in 1995. His credibility assessment career started in 2003 while working for the Gray Police Department in Gray, Georgia. When he learned about polygraph, he decided to put himself through polygraph school. The police chief was fine with that, providing he first accumulated 400 comp hours so that he could take the time off for school, and providing he paid for the school and his equipment himself. After a year, Handler had saved enough comp time and started driving the 99 miles from his home to the American International Institute of Polygraph in Morrow, just outside of Atlanta, to attend a 10-week polygraph course. Mark began publishing credibility assessment related articles in 2005.
“Mark’s law enforcement and investigation experience will be extremely helpful to the future deployment and development of the EyeDetect technology,” said Converus President and CEO Todd Mickelsen.
Handler is hopeful that in the near future every police department and federal government entity will be using EyeDetect, coupled with polygraph, for screening job applicants and current employees, and every parole and probation officer would have access to EyeDetect for their clients.
“EyeDetect also offers tremendous value to the U.S. federal government’s need to vet immigrants in a very efficient, yet humane, manner,” added Handler. “It simply isn’t possible to polygraph them all because a polygraph exam takes about two hours, and results several more hours. With EyeDetect, the test is only 30 minutes and results are available within 10 minutes.”
For more information, visit www.converus.com.
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About Converus®
Converus (“with truth”) is committed to providing trustworthy credibility assessment solutions. Its flagship product, EyeDetect® is the first ocular-motor deception detection solution. It’s an accurate, cost-effective, efficient, secure and nonintrusive method that detects deception in 30 minutes by analyzing eye behavior. The same scientists credited with computerizing the polygraph in 1991 developed EyeDetect. It’s a new way for organizations to manage risk and ensure workplace integrity, and for law enforcement agencies and governments to detect deception. Ultimately, it helps protect countries, corporations and communities from corruption, fraud and threats. Converus is headquartered in Lehi, Utah. Visit www.converus.com.
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Press Contact: Jeff Pizzino, APR / +1 480.606.8292
