Iowa cop apologizes over  'racist statement' vs. Pinoys taking lie detector tests

The police commissioner of Iowa has apologized to the Filipino community over a statement he reportedly made about difficulties of completing lie detector tests with Filipinos. Philippine ambassador to Washington Jose Cuisia Jr. said Iowa police commissioner K. Brian London relayed his apology in a phone conversation. "Commissioner London was profuse in expressing his apology to me over his statements and repeatedly said it was never his intention to disparage or malign any particular nationality, most especially Filipinos," Cuisia said. He said he suggested that London reach out to the 3,500 Filipinos based in Iowa. "I told Commissioner London that I would convey his apologies to the members of the Filipino Community. I also suggested that he reaches out to the more than 3,500 Filipinos residing in Iowa so he would have a better understanding and appreciation of who we are as a people," he added. He said the embassy and the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago were made aware of London's statements on Friday afternoon (Saturday in Manila). Such statements were found by the Filipino community to be "inappropriate and unacceptable," he said. Cuisia said he called up London and asked him to clarify his statements. He said London explained "that his statements were taken out of context and were part of efforts by disgruntled individuals to discredit him." "Commissioner London said his statements were part of a technical discussion that was meant to underscore to polygraph examiners the difficulty they could encounter in handling individuals who speak different languages or who come from different cultures," he said. London said he was merely illustrating as an example a lie detector test conducted on a Filipino in 1986, which required the assistance of an interpreter. "He said that as a result of the controversy, he now regrets having to refer to a particular nationality in making that statement," Cuisia said. — VC, GMA News