American Experience

The Lie Detector

Discover the story of the polygraph, the controversial device that transformed modern police work, seized headlines and was extolled as an infallible crime-fighting tool. A tale of good intentions, twisted morals and unintended consequences.

The Lie Detector

52m 35s

Discover the story of the polygraph, the controversial device that transformed modern police work, seized headlines and was extolled as an infallible crime-fighting tool. A tale of good intentions, twisted morals and unintended consequences.

Previews + Extras

  • Trailer |The Lie Detector: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Trailer |The Lie Detector

    S35 E1 - 1m 35s

    Discover the story of the polygraph, the controversial device that transformed modern police work, seized headlines and was extolled as an infallible crime-fighting tool. A tale of good intentions, twisted morals and unintended consequences.

  • Chapter 1 | The Lie Detector: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Chapter 1 | The Lie Detector

    S35 E1 - 10m 24s

    Discover the story of the polygraph, the controversial device that transformed modern police work, seized headlines and was extolled as an infallible crime-fighting tool. A tale of good intentions, twisted morals and unintended consequences.

  • The Third Degree: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Third Degree

    S35 E1 - 4m 16s

    Some etymologists trace the phrase 'The Third Degree' back to Freemasonry, but by the early 20th century, the term had become firmly associated with something entirely different: harsh police interrogation, or more accurately, torture.

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