Where Experience Meets Excellence in Polygraph Training
Our team of highly experienced polygraph professionals works in unified collaboration to deliver the highest quality training available. Through decades of combined expertise, real-world application, and an unwavering commitment to truth and integrity, we prepare examiners to perform at the highest professional standard.
Phoenix Cadre
Sandy Dunn
Director and Chief Instructor
Ms. Dunn is currently the Director and Chief Instructor at Phoenix Polygraph Academy (PPA) teaching both basic polygraph examiner courses and advanced courses. Before becoming the Director, she served as the Director and Lead Instructor at PEAK Credibility Assessment Training Center (CATC) for a year and a half and as the School Coordinator for PEAK CATC for four years before becoming the Director. During those four years, she collaborated closely with Director Ben Blalock to strengthen the curriculum while elevating the learning experience as an instructor and facilitator. She has trained polygraph examiners from all over the world.
Sandy graduated from PEAK Credibility Assessment Center after retiring from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, where she served for 30 years. Ms. Dunn spent most of her career in law enforcement as a detective in special investigations focusing on all levels of narcotic investigations, vice crimes, and computer crimes. She holds a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in the criminal justice field.
Ms. Dunn is the owner of TEP Polygraph Services, conducting various polygraph examinations including pre-employment, diagnostic, and PCSOT examinations. Sandy is currently the President of the Florida Polygraph Association (FPA) and served as the FPA Director of the Randall Jones School of Continuing Studies for four years before becoming President. Ms. Dunn has been involved with creating and improving polygraph curriculum for over six years. Sandy has been on various committees for the American Polygraph Association including the Education Accreditation Committee, Research Committee, Professional Development Committee, and the Seminar Committee. She has published numerous articles related to the field of polygraph. Ms. Dunn has presented various polygraph topics for state, national, and international associations.
In addition to her law enforcement career and her career in polygraph, Ms. Dunn has been an adjunct professor instructing various criminal justice courses in both a local police academy and at a college/university level since 1998. She has also served as a program coordinator and instructor for Polk State College where she designed and implemented online curriculum for a Computer Crime Investigations Certification, as well as designing college-style online courses in polygraph.
Benjamin Blalock
Founding Architect and Consulting Partner of the Program Design
Mr. Blalock is an internationally respected leader in the polygraph profession, known for his exceptional expertise, instructional innovation, and decades of service to the field. He previously served as Director and Chief Instructor for both the International Academy of Polygraph and the Academy of Polygraph Sciences before founding PEAK Credibility Assessment Training Center (CATC) in partnership with Lafayette Instrument Company in 2016. Ben Blalock developed and delivered his signature polygraph training methodology at PEAK CATC, shaping the professional development of examiners across the world. During his tenure, he worked closely with Sandy Dunn, sharing his methodology and instructional approach through years of side‑by‑side collaboration. His legacy continues through Phoenix Polygraph Academy, where he now serves as Consulting Partner and provides ongoing guidance in curriculum design and program development.
Mr. Blalock entered the polygraph profession following his retirement from the United States Army, where he served as a Counterintelligence Agent specializing in both linguistics and interrogations. He holds a Master’s degree in organizational management and has served as a polygraph examiner for law enforcement agencies, federal agencies, and as a private examiner and government contractor. Throughout his career, Mr. Blalock has been dedicated to advancing the profession through teaching, writing, and research. He is a lifetime member of numerous state, national, and international associations in recognition of his longstanding service to the polygraph community. A prolific contributor to professional education, Mr. Blalock has authored or co‑authored more than thirty‑five articles, presented extensively at state, national, and international conferences, and served over eighteen years as Secretary of the FPA. His career achievements have been recognized with numerous honors, including awards from the American Polygraph Association, American Association of Police Polygraphists, and the Florida Polygraph Association.
Aside from contributing through our school, Mr. Blalock continues to advance the profession through consultation and advanced training for examiners, law enforcement agencies, federal organizations, and international partners.
Scott Walters
Senior Instructor
Mr. Walters is an American Polygraph Association Certified Primary Instructor. Mr. Walters graduated from the International Academy of Polygraph in 1995 and has conducted polygraph interviews and examinations for both the private and government sector for pre-employment screening, criminal investigations, post-conviction sex offender testing, and internal affairs investigations. He has also served as the past School Director for the International Academy of Polygraph.
Mr. Walter has over 25 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.
Scott is a member in good standing with the American Polygraph Association (APA). 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 2024 and is a past board member with this association.
Mr. Walters holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management, a Primary 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, Scott has conducted in excess of 5,900 polygraph examinations and is a recognized court expert in the field of polygraph within the State of Florida. In addition, he 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.
James Orr
Senior Instructor
Mr. Orr has over 36 years of active law enforcement experience, beginning his law enforcement career in the City of Westland, Michigan in metropolitan Detroit in 1974. He accepted a position as an FBI Special Agent in 1983, serving in that capacity until his retirement in 2011. Jim graduated from the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute, currently the National Center for Credibility Assessment (NCCA) in Fort McClellan, Alabama, becoming a polygraph examiner in 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. Mr. Orr has received extensive instruction in all areas of polygraph and interview and interrogation since entering the field of polygraph.
Upon retiring from the FBI in 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), for attorneys, private companies and private individuals, as well as conducting quality control reviews of other examiners’ work. Jim has also earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Jim has been recognized as an expert in the field of polygraph in state and federal courts, as well as having polygraph evidence admitted in federal court.
Jim was an instructor at the Academy of Polygraph Science from 2012 through 2016, teaching all aspects of polygraph in the U.S. and abroad, before transitioning to the PEAK Cadre as a senior instructor and now Phoenix Polygraph Academy. 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). He currently serves as Vice President – Private for the FPA.
Joe Waters
Psychology and Polygraph Instructor
Mr. Waters retired in 2006 from the New York Police Department after 20 years of service as a police officer and detective investigator working criminal investigations including death investigations, missing persons investigations, and narcotics investigations. He has both a Master’s degree and Bachelor’s degree in forensic psychology, with distinction, from John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a minor in addiction studies.
After retirement, he worked as an Applied Behavioral Science Specialist and Supervisor of the unit. He continued on to work as a Clinical Therapist at the Florida Civil Commitment Center before becoming a polygraph examiner.
Mr. Waters graduated from the Academy of Polygraph Science (APS) under Director Ben Blalock in 2015 and received specialized training in Post-Conviction Sex Offender Testing (PCSOT) through APS. He is also a licensed private investigator. Joe has his own business, Deception Investigations, LLC in North Fort Myers, Florida. He is a member of the American Polygraph Association, American Association of Police Polygraphists, and the Florida Polygraph Association. Mr. Waters has been part of the Board of Directors for the FPA since 2021.
Mr. Waters began as a psychology instructor, polygraph instructor, and a lab assistant at PEAK CATC in 2020 before transitioning to Phoenix Polygraph Academy. He has also presented polygraph topics for state associations and has conducted quality control of other examiner’s work.
Blake McConnell
Physiology and Polygraph Instructor
Mr. McConnell was an FBI Special Agent for 21 years. During his career, Mr. McConnell investigated financial institution fraud, mail/wire fraud, violent crime, and civil rights violations. He also served as an FBI polygraph examiner, polygraph supervisor, and a Supervisory Special Agent in the Behavioral Analysis Unit. After retiring from the FBI, Mr. McConnell was a polygraph examiner and insider threat analyst for the U.S. Embassies in Iraq and Afghanistan and later with the Department of Defense, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. Mr. McConnell has extensive experience providing investigative interview training to law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, and security investigators in the U.S. and abroad. He has conducted hundreds of investigative interviews in criminal and security investigations and has provided expert advice regarding criminal behavior in numerous difficult to solve criminal investigations.
In addition to owning his own polygraph business, Blake is a consultant with the Threat Assessment Group assessing threats and mitigating risks in workplaces. Blake is an expert in criminal behavior and interviewing at Park Dietz & Associates, a forensic expert provider. Mr. McConnell is also an adjunct faculty instructor of investigative interviewing at George Washington University, Forensic Psychology Graduate Program.
Mr. McConnell received a Bachelor’s degree in public administration from the University of Tennessee at Martin and a Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology/Psychophysiology from Argosy University and the U.S. Department of Defense. He holds a Security Fundamentals Professional Certification from the Department of Defense, Center for Development of Security Excellence. Blake became an instructor for PEAK CATC in 2025 before transitioning to Phoenix Polygraph Academy.
Juan Navarro
Polygraph Instructor and Lab Assistant
Mr. Navarro graduated from PEAK Credibility Assessment Training Center in 2020. He is a member of the Florida Polygraph Association and the American Polygraph Association. He has been serving as the Director of the Randall Jones School of Continuing Studies for the Florida Polygraph Association since 2024. Juan is a certified PCSOT examiner. He is currently employed by Metzgar, Conley, and Associates Polygraph Service, LLC conducting PCSOT, criminal, and pre-employment polygraph examinations. He also owns his own company, Navarro Polygraph Services, LLC and is contracted to conduct pre-employment polygraphs for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies in Polk County, Florida.
Juan is bilingual in English and Spanish. Juan has experience serving as an interpreter as well for other polygraph examiners. He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminology from the University of South Florida in 2014. Juan is proud to have been trained by PEAK CATC founder and past Director Ben Blalock, as well as past PEAK CATC Director Sandy Dunn. He has served as a lab assistant for PEAK CATC beginning in 2022, later also serving as a PCSOT instructor and a polygraph instructor before transitioning to Phoenix Polygraph Academy.
Trish Orr
Lab Assistant
Mrs. Orr graduated from PEAK Credibility Assessment Training Center in 2018. She is currently a certified examiner in the state of Florida. She has been a member of the Florida Polygraph Association since 2018, and has been the Assistant Treasurer since 2021. She is also a member of the American Polygraph Association.
Trish also has a wide range of investigative experience. She has been a private investigator in the state of Florida and gained experience working fraud investigations, missing persons, surveillance and protection detail for James Orr Investigations. She was also part of the first wave of security officers for the Transportation Security Administration in Baltimore, Maryland beginning in 2002. She studied psychology at Capella University.
Since becoming an examiner, Trish has been fortunate to conduct polygraph examinations and quality control assessments under the guidance and mentorship of her husband, James Orr. Working for Tampa Polygraph Services, LLC has provided her with a broad range of testing experience including PCSOT (federal and state), criminal, national security, confirmatory and applicant testing. In 2021, she served as a lab assistant for PEAK CATC, a role she maintained before transitioning to Phoenix Polygraph Academy.
Clayton McNabb
Lab Assistant
Mr. McNabb graduated from PEAK Credibility Assessment Training Center in 2020. He is currently a polygraph examiner at Metzgar, Conley, and Associates Polygraph Service, LLC. Clay is also a certified PCSOT examiner. He conducts PCSOT, criminal, and pre-employment examinations. Clay is a member of the Florida Polygraph Association. Clay served as a lab assistant for PEAK CATC beginning in 2022, a role he maintained before transitioning to Phoenix Polygraph Academy.
Nikolas Scherer
Lab Assistant
Mr. Scherer graduated from PEAK Credibility Assessment Training Center in 2023. He is a member of the Florida Polygraph Association. He owns Central Florida Polygraph conducting criminal and pre-employment polygraph examinations. Niko has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and is currently a full- time student at the University of South Florida to earn a Master’s degree. Niko has served as a lab assistant for PEAK CATC beginning in 2025, a role he maintained before transitioning to Phoenix Polygraph Academy.