Maine polygraph examiner accused of lying about at least 7 law enforcement hiring tests

Former Cumberland County Detective Charged With Lying About Polygraph Exams for Seven New Hires

A former detective with the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office now faces criminal charges after allegedly fabricating polygraph examination results for at least seven new law enforcement hires, including a man who applied for a 911 dispatcher position, according to court records and a Maine State Police affidavit.

Regan Goan, who worked as a detective and licensed polygraph examiner with the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office from 1994 until his retirement in 2022, was charged last week with six misdemeanors. The charges include one count of unsworn falsification, one count of violation of the Maine Polygraph Examiner's Act and four counts of tampering with public records.

Goan became a licensed polygraph examiner in 2013 and, after leaving the sheriff's office, continued to administer exams for law enforcement agencies through his private company, R J Goan and Associates. According to the affidavit, the company served at least 70 agencies across New England, including in New Hampshire and Vermont. Most of the examinations in question were conducted between 2019 and 2021, while Goan was still employed by the sheriff's office.

The investigation was set in motion last year by Benjamin Sweeney, a polygraph examiner who had also worked for Goan. Sweeney learned in 2025 that Goan had allegedly claimed to have completed a polygraph examination in 2021 for a man who was applying for a position as a 911 dispatcher — a claim that turned out to be false. While administering his own polygraph exam on the same man in 2025, the applicant told Sweeney that he had "technically" completed an exam with Goan years earlier, but that Goan "never actually hooked me up to anything." Sweeney said Goan also instructed the man not to discuss the earlier exam.

Sweeney raised his concerns with the sheriff's office and attempted to include the applicant's account in his polygraph report, even after Goan urged him not to. The case was ultimately referred to the Office of the Maine Attorney General, where Detective Laura Edstrom was assigned to investigate.

Sweeney and Goan later spoke at length on a nearly two-hour recorded phone call, during which Goan reportedly complained that Sweeney's report was "unfair" and that it "makes me look bad." Goan, according to the affidavit, defended his record on the call, saying: "I've never had issue with my integrity. No one's ever taken that into question, ever, in 27 years on the job… I'm the guy driving the bus for integrity. I have a good reputation and I always have."

Goan also denied wrongdoing during a voluntary interview with Edstrom in September 2025. He told investigators he had conducted more than 3,000 exams over the course of his career and could not recall the specific incident Sweeney had reported.

Edstrom's investigation also uncovered what she described as additional misrepresentations involving the Southwest Harbor Police Department. According to the affidavit, a police officer who joined the Southwest Harbor department in 2025, after relocating to Maine from another state, had her polygraph administered by an examiner in that other state whom Goan had connected with the department's chief. The out-of-state examiner charged $450 for the exam, but the Maine Criminal Justice Academy determined the state still required a polygraph conducted by a Maine-licensed examiner. Edstrom wrote that Goan was "apologetic" and told the chief the officer would receive a polygraph at no charge. However, the officer later told Edstrom in an interview that Goan did not fully connect her to the polygraph equipment during his exam, despite reporting to the police chief that he had completed it properly.

Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce said he was notified of the allegations against Goan last year and expressed disappointment that his office continued to retain Goan as a private polygraph examiner after his retirement. Joyce said polygraph exams conducted outside the agency typically cost between $300 and $450 per test.

"I'm shocked, as I sit here, that this occurred," Joyce said. "These are typically your seasoned individuals that have some seniority, and they've shown that through their investigative skills and their ability to interview people, that they're the cream of the crop."

Joyce said there are no current plans to retest any of the employees whose examinations may have been compromised. He also said he was not involved in the investigation and that the charges came as a surprise.

Goan's personnel file from the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office shows that he was formally disciplined on eight occasions during his career there. The records indicate he accepted responsibility for each reported violation, which included instances of being unavailable when he was supposed to be on call, failing to seek permission for a drone purchase while serving as commander of the Emergency Services Unit, and not completing certain required trainings. In May 2021, his polygraph license lapsed, though records note there is no notification system to alert agencies when that occurs. However, the files contain no record of any discipline or investigation related specifically to his polygraph work while he was employed by the sheriff's office. The file also includes more than 30 accolades from other law enforcement agencies and members of the public praising Goan's work.

Goan's professional background is extensive. Public records from the Public Employee Retirement System show he first joined the Maine law enforcement community in 1994. After retiring from the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office in 2022, he joined the Bridgton Police Department as a full-time patrol officer in September 2025. Bridgton Chief Phil Jones confirmed on Tuesday that Goan served from September 2025 until August 2026 and is no longer employed by the department. "The current case has no impact on the operations of our department," Jones said. Goan currently works for the Raymond Public Works Office, according to the town manager.

The company, R J Goan and Associates, did not respond to a request for comment. No defense attorney was listed in Goan's criminal file. He is being prosecuted by the district attorney's office for Cumberland County.

Polygraph devices measure and record a person's physiological responses to questions, including blood pressure and heart rate. They are used nationwide to screen applicants for law enforcement positions and to assess honesty, though they are commonly excluded from evidence in criminal court proceedings due to ongoing accuracy concerns. In Maine, completion of a polygraph examination is one of several standards required by the state's criminal justice academy for basic law enforcement certification, and multiple agencies also mandate polygraph screening for new employees.

Emily Allen is a staff writer covering courts for the Portland Press Herald.