IDAHO — Idaho has released detailed rules for how it will carry out firing squad executions, outlining who can serve as a shooter, what they have to prove, and why their names will never be made public.
The Idaho Department of Correction published the updated policy on June 8, after the state last year became the first in the country to make the firing squad its primary method of execution.
READ MORE | Idaho becomes first state to make firing squad the primary method of execution
Participation is entirely voluntary. No IDOC employee or contractor can be forced to take part in an execution, and anyone who signs up can back out at any time.
Those who do volunteer must meet strict requirements, including at least three years of certified peace officer experience and a live-fire accuracy test. To pass, a volunteer must hit the target with every shot from a minimum distance of 21 feet. The target is the same size and in the same location as it would be in an actual execution. One missed shot means disqualification.
Even with those details now public, the names of everyone on the execution team — including firing squad members — are protected by Idaho state law and cannot be released under a public records request.
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