Idaho's firing squad law takes effect July 1. Here's what to know

Idaho becomes the only U.S. state with a firing squad as its primary execution method starting July 1, with trained police officers expected to pull the triggers. The Idaho Department of Correction this week released new protocols detailing how executions will be carried out at the state’s maximum security prison south of Boise.

FULL STORY: Idaho will soon turn to firing squad executions. Police will pull the triggers

Here are key takeaways:

• The firing squad will include three primary shooters and two alternates, with a team leader who loads the rifles. Volunteers must be Idaho law enforcement officers certified through POST for at least three years with no recent disciplinary issues involving firearms or use of force.
• Shooters must pass marksman testing from at least 7 yards, hitting a target matching the size, shape and height of the one used in executions. Any misses disqualify a volunteer from selection.
• During an execution, the three shooters will fire from about 10 yards away, positioned behind a protective wall with a 1-foot opening. IDOC says this limits their exposure to the execution area.
• IDOC purchased five Daniel Defense DD5-P .308-caliber rifles with scopes, suppressors and bipods at $4,844 each, totaling more than $24,000. Retrofitting the execution chamber cost more than $1.2 million.
• The condemned person will be offered a mild sedative the night before and again within four hours of execution. They’ll be strapped to an execution chair with a target affixed over their heart and may request an eye covering.
• The team leader will give a cadence for the three shooters to fire in unison with a magazine for each rifle loaded with a single .308 110-grain TAP round. After up to two minutes, the prison director can order a second volley if signs of life remain.
• Firing squad members’ identities are confidential by state law, known only to the prisons director and a deputy chief. None may be related to the prisoner, victims or either of their relatives.
• Eight prisoners — seven men and one woman, all convicted of murder — are on Idaho’s death row. The state has not carried out an execution in 14 years, not since June 2012.
• Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said every new execution method has been introduced with broken promises of being “more humane,” calling the firing squad “as flawed as any other.”

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.