Instructors

Benjamin Blalock, Director

Mr. Blalock is a United States Army veteran and a former interrogation and counter-intelligence soldier, Special Agent, government employee and contractor in the intelligence field. He has extensive experience and specialized training in polygraph, interviewing, interrogation, and vulnerability assessment. Mr. Blalock holds both Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees, and has extensive investigative training. He has conducted and quality controlled countless polygraph examinations, interviews, interrogations and investigations for federal government, private and law enforcement agencies throughout the world, including the Middle East. He is a Post-Conviction Sex Offender Testing (PCSOT) Instructor, and has administered countless PCSOT polygraph examinations. Mr. Blalock has authored and co-authored several polygraph-related articles, and has traveled throughout the world as a much sought-after presenter on various polygraph topics. Not only is he a graduate of the world-renowned National Center for Credibility Assessment (NCCA), and a past Director of the International Academy of Polygraph, and the Academy of Polygraph Science (APS), but he is also the current Director of the PEAK Credibility Assessment Training Center based in Cape Coral, Florida.

Mr. Blalock has been honored with lifetime memberships in numerous polygraph associations and societies for his contributions to the field of polygraph. He has also served in over a dozen positions in various boards, committees, and subcommittees directly related to polygraph, including current appointments with the Florida Polygraph Association Board, the American Polygraph Association School Accreditation Committee, and the American Polygraph Association Membership Committee.

In 2021, Mr. Blalock received the Cleve Backster award from the American Polygraph Association. This award honors an individual or group that advances the polygraph profession through tireless dedication to standardization of polygraph principles and practices.

In 2020, Mr. Blalock received the Region V Richard O. Arther Director's award from the American Association of Police Polygraphists. This award is selected and presented by each Regional Director and is based upon a significant case or contribution within the respective region.

Mr. Blalock was the winner of the 2018 Holly S. Canty Memorial Award from the American Association of Police Polygraphists. This award was awarded for outstanding leadership and dedicated service to the AAPP.

Mr. Blalock was also the winner of the 2017 John E. Reid award from the American Polygraph Association. This award is bestowed for distinguished achievements in polygraph research, teaching, or writing.

Guillermo Witte

Guillermo Witte is a polygraph examiner for the San Diego Police Department. Guillermo is a recognized lecturer and instructor, who has spoken and taught at numerous national and international events. For over a decade, Guillermo has shared his training and expertise with the public, private, and government sectors. Mr. Witte holds a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling and is a certified PCSOT instructor by the American Polygraph Association. Mr. Witte is a member of the American Polygraph Association (APA), American Association of Police Polygraphists (AAPP), and the California Association of Polygraph Examiners (CAPE). Guillermo has native command of Spanish and can conduct examinations and perform lectures in Spanish.

James Orr

Jim Orr holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice and graduated from the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute in Fort McClellan, Alabama on April 2, 1999. Mr. Orr conducted in excess of 2,300 polygraph examinations in all areas of FBI responsibility across the United States and around the world. He also conducted quality control review of other FBI examiners’ work, as well as serving as the head polygraph examiner in the Baltimore and Tampa FBI offices. He served as a mentor and field trainer to new examiners in both offices, as well as coordinating all polygraph matters. Upon retiring from the FBI on January, 1, 2011, Mr. Orr founded Tampa Polygraph Services, LLC, and has conducted hundreds of polygraph examinations in the United States and abroad for Law Enforcement, as a contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), attorneys, private companies and private individuals, as well as conducting quality control reviews of other examiners’ work. Mr. Orr was an instructor at the Academy of Polygraph Science from June, 2012 through March, 2016, teaching all aspects of polygraph in the U.S. and abroad. Mr. Orr has over 36 years of active law enforcement experience. He began his law enforcement career as a police cadet in the City of Westland, Michigan in metropolitan Detroit on August 1, 1974. He attended the police academy in 1976 and then served as a uniformed police officer until he accepted a position as an FBI Special Agent on October 2, 1983, serving in that capacity until his retirement on January 1, 2011. Mr. Orr is a former full member of the Maryland Polygraph Association and is a current member in good standing with the American Polygraph Association (APA), the American Association of Police Polygraphists (AAPP) and Florida Polygraph Association (FPA). Mr. Orr has received extensive instruction in all areas of polygraph and interview and interrogation since entering the field of polygraph.

Scott Walters

Scott Walters is an American Polygraph Association Certified Instructor. Mr. Walters graduated from the International Academy of Polygraph in 1995 and has conducted polygraph interview and examinations for both the private and government sector for pre-employment screening, criminal investigations, post-conviction sex offender, and internal affairs investigations. Mr. Walters has served as the past School Director for the International Academy of Polygraph. Mr. Walters is currently providing Polygraph Instruction for PEAK Credibility Assessment Training Center in Cape Coral, FL. Mr. Walters has over 20 years of active law enforcement service and is currently employed as a Sergeant with the Professional Responsibility Bureau of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and is the polygraph section supervisor. Mr. Walters is a member in good standing with the American Polygraph Association (APA), the American Association of Police Polygraphists (AAPP), and the National Polygraph Association (NPA). Mr. Walters is a certified member with the Florida Polygraph Association (FPA), where he served as the Vice President Public and Grievance Committee Chair between 2007 and 2017 and is a past board member with this association. Mr. Walters holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Management; an Instructor Certification from the American Polygraph Association, and is recognized as a Certified Examiner through the Florida Polygraph Association in both Polygraph Methodology and Post-Conviction Sex Offender Testing (PCSOT). To date, Mr. Walters has conducted in excess of 5,300 polygraph examinations and is a recognized court expert in the field of polygraph within the State of Florida. In addition, Mr. Walters has many hours of specialized instruction in Interview and Interrogation techniques. Mr. Walters has provided specialized instruction in Polygraph Methodology, and the field of Pre-Test and Post-Test interview in the United States, Canada, Nepal, and The Caribbean. In addition, he has provided instruction to foreign nationals from the United Kingdom, Malaysia, and South Africa.

Bulgaria

Todor Todorov

General Manager of Assess Ltd.
Sofia, Bulgaria

Todor Todorov is a Certified Criminal Psychophysiologist and polygraph examiner who has worked with more 4,000 individuals regarding loyalty checks, pre-employment cases and criminal cases and supervised more than 10,000 polygraph examinations. Expert in the field of criminal profiling; hostage negotiation; crisis interventions; violent crime analysis; behavioral analysis; personality profiling; threat assessment; expert in court.

Author of publications regarding issues in the criminal psychology field in specialized journals and magazines. Participated in national and international workshops and trainings in regards to the investigation and the prevention of many types of crime.

Velina Vladimirova

Assess Ltd.
Sofia, Bulgaria

Velina Vladimirova is a Criminal psychologist and Certified Instructor in Forensic Psychophysiology/Polygraph. Expert in the field of criminal profiling; negotiations with barricaded people; crisis interventions; work with victims of sexual crimes; violent crime analysis; behavioral analysis; personality profiling; threat assessment; expert in court.

Author of publications in the journal of the Institute of psychology – MI and the Penitentiary journal. Participated in national and international workshops and trainings in regards to the investigation and the prevention of sexual crimes and hate crimes.