Could be.. I think for some, they are just ok with lying. I've seen those types throughout my career. But I've seen some who were really good people who let themselves get caught up in the lie and can't turn back, and I think in the case I am thinking of where I had involvement, it was embarrassment. The issue was minor and the officer thought it was not going to be a big deal and off the cuff lied thinking that would be the end of it. No body hurt by the lie, what he did was stupid and he didn't want to own it. Then it snowballed and he couldn't come off it because he had already committed. I knew he was lying, he knew he was lying, it wasn't about anything but whether the clerk asked him "Are you on the contract?" verses "Are you with APD?" His response, which they both agreed on, didn't make sense if it was what he said she asked. He just couldn't let it go. In that case, I think he was afraid to admit he lied because he would be looked down upon. He would rather lose his job, or risk losing his job hoping against hope we wouldn't terminate him.