Walsh Polygraph & Background Investigations

Meet the Team

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The team brings decades of investigative experience to WP&BI, with expertise in human behavior evaluation. The team has decades of insight focusing on victim, witness, and offender interviews with thousands of successfully resolved cases.

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The team of investigators have received awards for cases they have worked at city, regional, state, and national levels.

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Featured Investigator of the Month: Dave

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This month, we are proud to highlight Dave, a retired 27-year veteran of the Sioux Falls Police Department, as our Featured Investigator.

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Dave brings a wealth of frontline experience to every investigation he conducts. His law enforcement career includes 18 years as a patrol officer, working primarily in high-crime, high-call areas of Sioux Falls. He also served 9 years as an undercover narcotics detective, demonstrating tenacity and creativity—whether digging through dumpsters for drug evidence or cultivating informants to help close major cases. His dedication and performance earned him multiple commendations, including being named Fraternal Order of Police Officer of the Year on two occasions.

Following his retirement from SFPD, Dave spent three years in jail administration. There, he led initiatives such as developing policy for the Electronic Monitoring Program, conducting candidate interviews, and overseeing courtroom operations, including sentence tracking and court appearance management.

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Dave’s approach to investigations is shaped by advanced interview and interrogation training he received during his time as a detective. This training transformed how he interacts with subjects—favoring open-ended, narrative-driven questions over yes-or-no prompts. He believes in phrasing questions that naturally elicit more truthful responses and has built a reputation for his skill in follow-up questioning that uncovers valuable insight.

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In background investigations, Dave takes a methodical, conversational approach. Before speaking with a subject or reference, he conducts preliminary research to better understand their role and context. This allows him to move beyond scripted questions and build rapport through thoughtful, relevant dialogue. He ensures that every question is fully explored before moving on—delivering thorough, accurate, and meaningful reports to the agencies he supports.

Dave has been part of Walsh Polygraph and Background Investigations since the inception of its Law Enforcement Background section. With approximately 60 completed investigations to date, he takes pride in protecting the integrity of the agencies he serves. He views every background as an opportunity to help ensure that only those who are fit to wear the badge are selected—just as he proudly did for over 30 years.

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Walsh Polygraph & Background Investigations Team:

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• Mike: Mike retired from the Minnehaha County SO (SD) in 2021; he is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and speaks Russian and Italian.  

• Autumn: She was a Special Agent for Division of Criminal Investigation (SD) and is a veteran of the Air Force, Autumn speaks Spanish and has studied abroad for French and Arabic.

• Dave: Dave is a retired Detective from the Sioux Falls PD (SD) and the Lincoln County SO (SD).

• Todd: Todd is a veteran of the Air Force; he retired from the Sioux Falls PD (SD) and speaks German. He still instructs law enforcement related courses.

• Rob: He works for a South Dakota police department, formerly with Minnehaha County SO (SD) and Overland Park PD (KS).

• AJ: He works for a large police department in South Dakota with several years experience as a Detective. 

• Jodi: Jodi works for a large South Dakota Sheriff's Office, and was formerly with the Flagler County SO (FL). She is a Detective. 

• Stacy: She was the Supervising United States Probation Officer for the Northern District of Iowa. 

• Callie: Callie is a registered nurse and routinely reviews healthcare applicants.

• Kellen: He is a former Detective with the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office. 

• Michelle: She retired from the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office (SD) with experience as an Detective and Administrator. 

• Riley: Riley is a highly experienced investigator from the private sector. 

• Ronica: Ronica is a retired United States Senior Probation Officer (ND/IA). 

• Marci: She worked at the Brookings County SO (SD) and the Brookings PD (SD).

• Tommy: He is a retired Sioux Falls PD (SD) Sergeant and a United States Marine Corps veteran. He spent a large portion of his career as a Detective.

• Kyra: Kyra is a Former Consumer Lender/Banking professional.

• Nicky: She retired as a Detective from Aurora PD  (CO) and speaks German.

• Heather: Heather has worked for a large police department in Iowa for 21 years, and is a Detective.

• Rich: He spent 28 years in Law Enforcement, his time was splint between the Denver Sheriff's Office (8 years) and the Aurora Police Department, CO (20 years). He spent most of his time with APD as a Patrol Officer, but worked several special assignments such as Background Investigator, Police Area Representative (PAR Officer), and his last 5 years as a level-3 Traffic Accident Reconstructionist. 

• Jennifer: Jennifer has worked in Human Resources at Minnehaha County for over 15 years specializing in interviewing and hiring processes for law enforcement and correctional personnel. 

• Rick: Rick is a Marine Corps veteran who retired from the South Dakota Highway Patrol with a background in executive leadership.

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About the Founder

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After graduating in 2008 from polygraph school, Mike was an active law enforcement polygraph examiner doing both specific issue exams and screening (pre-employment/background) exams. He has completed exams on topics ranging from theft to homicide, and has received awards at the local and national level for cases. Mike has done quality control on polygraph examinations for both law enforcement and private examiners, as well as presenting at conferences. He has published articles in polygraph journals and participated in chart evaluation research studies. Mike is a member of the American Association of Police Polygraphists (AAPP) and the American Polygraph Association (APA). He served in Law Enforcement with the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office from 1995 - 2021, in many different capacities.

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"Serving as a background investigator and detective, and then in Administration, I gained insight into the perspective of background investigations from both sides- practical application and consumer."

 

Mike was appointed to the American Polygraph Association Ethics and Grievance Committee for 2021-2022.

 

Visit the LinkedIn account:

 

  www.linkedin.com/in/mike-walsh-b67b0a28

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https://www.keloland.com/news/eye-on-keloland/eye-on-keloland-to-tell-the-truth/

 

https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/crime/2017/12/05/minnehaha-county-captain-receives-award-role-solving-2011-murder/916423001/

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