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On Polygraph Tests, Would-Be Border Patrol Agents Confess to Crimes

Murder and Rape

With prospective agents near the end of their screening process confessing to hideous crimes, Andrew Becker of the Center for Investigative Reporting asks about the thousands hired before the agency began administering the test six months ago.

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One admitted to kidnapping and ransoming hostages in the Ivory Coast. Others said they had molested children or committed rape. And one, as he prepared for survival in a post-apocalyptic world, contemplated assassinating President Barack Obama.

These are among the thousands of applicants who have sought sensitive law enforcement jobs in...

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