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

Trained members of Idaho law enforcement with demonstrated firearms
proficiency are expected to fill slots for carrying out the death
penalty by firing squad as the state prison system transitions to the
controversial execution method next month. 

Six volunteers certified for no less than three years apiece through
Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST, will be recruited to
ensure the Idaho Department of Correction is ready to comply with a
state law that prioritizes shooting prisoners to death over lethal
injection starting July 1. No one on the team may have faced
disciplinary action over firearms, use of force or related conduct over
the prior year, according to new execution protocols the prison system
released this week. 

State prison leadership has sought to avoid needing to rely on
volunteers among corrections officers to pull the triggers in an
execution, IDOC Director Bree Derrick previously said. The agency
explored the possibility of a remote-operated system as Idaho becomes
the only U.S. state with a firing squad as its lead execution method,
but one did not come to fruition. That left IDOC to instead devise a
human firing squad, the agency said. 

"The Idaho Department of Correction recognizes the gravity of carrying
out a court-ordered execution and the responsibility that comes with
it," Derrick said in a statement to the Idaho Statesman. "The department
is committed to fulfilling this responsibility with professionalism,
respect, and strict adherence to the law. Our procedures are designed to
ensure that any execution is conducted in a secure, orderly, and
dignified manner while safeguarding the rights of all individuals
involved and maintaining the safety and security of staff, witnesses,
and the public." 

The firing squad will consist of three primary shooters and two
alternates, with a team leader who will check, maintain and load a live
round into each of the IDOC-owned rifles used for executions. None of
the team members may have a blood or legal relationship to the condemned
prisoner or their family, or the victims or their relatives. 

The identities of all firing squad members will be confidential, per
state law. The only two people allowed to know their names are the state
prisons director and a deputy prisons chief. 

During marksman testing from a minimum of 7 yards away, each member
chosen must be able to hit a similar shaped and sized target at a
similar height as the one that will be used during an execution without
missing. During the execution, the three-member firing squad will shoot
the seated prisoner from a distance of approximately 10 yards,
department spokesperson Ryan Mortensen said by email. 

"Failure to accurately hit the specific target with one round from each
IDOC-provided firearm disqualifies the volunteer from selection," reads
the Idaho execution standard operating procedure approved by Derrick. 
The three shooters will be positioned behind a protective wall with a
1-foot opening through which they'll fire the rifles at the prisoner,
Mortensen said. The intent is to limit the firing squad's exposure to
the execution area and minimize the effects on those involved in the
process, he said. IDOC has yet to determine whether the shooters will be
seated or standing, he added. 

The state prison system has already purchased five AR-style Daniel
Defense DD5-P .308-caliber rifles, equipped with scopes, suppressors and
bipods for use by its firing squad, Mortensen said. The DD5-P is
technically a pistol, but is referred to as a rifle in the IDOC
protocols. The cost with accessories per firearm was $4,844 - or a total
of more than $24,000. 

The particular rifle model includes components designed to reduce recoil
and is "engineered for reliability in demanding conditions," the
manufacturer's website said. 

https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/crime/article316066906.html