IDAHO POST MAIN EXAMINATION 2026 SET QUESTIONS
AND SOLUTIONS SCORED A+
✔✔Describe the responsibilities of the supreme court. - ✔✔The Idaho supreme court is
composed of 1 chief justice and 4 associate judges. It is the final court of appeal in
Idaho. It establishes rules for Idaho courts, hears appeals from district courts, and is the
original jurisdiction in some cases.
✔✔What is the golden rule of the reactionary gap? - ✔✔Space, time, and distance must
be controlled by the officers.
✔✔What are some examples of pre-attack indicators? - ✔✔Threats, target glancing,
weight shifting, bladed/boxer stance, muscles tensing, removing hats/watches/clothing,
hand placement, active resistance, nature of crime, armed or having access to
weapons, gang affiliation, history of violence, nature of area.
✔✔In addition to the Graham factors, what are some other factors that influence how
much physical force is reasonably necessary? - ✔✔Number of suspects,
size/age/condition, suspect's history (violence, mental health), use of alcohol/drugs,
special training.
✔✔What did Tennessee v. Garner conclude? - ✔✔Deadly force must not be used
unless it is necessary to prevent escape AND the officer has probable cause to believe
the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the public or
other officers.
✔✔How does an immediate threat differ from an imminent threat? - ✔✔An immediate
threat is happening or is about to happen; an imminent threat is one that is going to
happen in the future.
✔✔True or false: officers can respond with deadly force to the threat of violence, not
just the act of violence itself. - ✔✔True.
✔✔What are some examples of intermediate weapons? - ✔✔Baton, OC spray,
electronic control device.
✔✔Describe the 21-foot "rule." - ✔✔The 21 foot rule, though not actually a rule, is a
study that determined 21 feet is generally the distance an average suspect can cover in
the time it takes an officer to respond to the threat (draw firearm and fire two rounds).
✔✔What is the most common perceptual distortion officers experience when involved in
a shooting? - ✔✔Diminished sound.
✔✔What is OODA loop? - ✔✔Observe, orient, decide, act.
,✔✔When responding to a crime scene, what takes priority over evidence preservation?
- ✔✔Lifesaving.
✔✔What two types of perimeters should be established at a crime scene? - ✔✔Inner
and outer.
✔✔What is the purpose of a crime scene photograph? - ✔✔To accurately depict the
scene without introducing distortion or visual bias.
✔✔How should all death investigations be treated until evidence shows otherwise? -
✔✔As a homicide.
✔✔How long after death is rigor mortis at its greatest? - ✔✔8 to 12 hours.
✔✔How soon after death can rigor mortis appear? - ✔✔Within 2 hours.
✔✔When does lividity typically become fixed? - ✔✔Within 8 hours of death.
✔✔How soon after death can lividity be present? - ✔✔In as little as 30 minutes.
✔✔Where is core temperature taken from? - ✔✔The liver.
✔✔What is decomposition? - ✔✔The physical breakdown of tissue due to bacteria.
✔✔What are the 5 manners of death? - ✔✔Homicide, suicide, accidental, natural,
unknown.
✔✔What are the 4 causes of death? - ✔✔Asphyxia, sharp force trauma, blunt force
trauma, gunshot trauma.
✔✔What is asphyxia? - ✔✔Lack of oxygen.
✔✔What is sharp force trauma? - ✔✔Cutting of tissue.
✔✔What is blunt force trauma? - ✔✔Crushing and tearing of tissue.
✔✔What is gunshot trauma? - ✔✔Injuries produced by a projectile from a firearm.
✔✔What are some things that can result in asphyxia? - ✔✔Strangulation, smothering,
choking, drowning, positional or mechanical asphyxia, chemical asphyxia.
, ✔✔What are the 3 types of blunt force traumas? - ✔✔Abrasions, contusions,
lacerations.
✔✔What are contusions? - ✔✔Bruises.
✔✔What are the 4 types of gunshot wounds? - ✔✔Penetrating, perforating, grazing,
tangential.
✔✔Describe a penetrating gunshot wound. - ✔✔Projectile enters the body, but does not
exit.
✔✔Describe a perforating gunshot wound. - ✔✔Projectile enters and exits the body.
✔✔Describe a grazing gunshot wound. - ✔✔Projectile strikes parallel to the skin,
abrading it, but does not enter.
✔✔Describe a tangential gunshot wound. - ✔✔Projectile skims the skin, making a
series of shallow wounds that go under the skin.
✔✔What is the leading cause of sudden death? - ✔✔Heart disease.
✔✔What actions should be taken once a crime scene is safe? - ✔✔Remove people
from the scene, separate witnesses, and locate and secure entry/exit points.
✔✔True or false: family and media are normally allowed in the outer perimeter of a
crime scene, but not the inner perimeter. - ✔✔False.
✔✔When should a crime scene log be established? - ✔✔As soon as possible to enforce
the perimeter.
✔✔True or false: other officers should be allowed to "just walk through" a crime scene.
This should be allowed. - ✔✔False.
✔✔True or false: strangulation and asphyxia are the same thing. - ✔✔False.
✔✔A victim has a furrow below or level with the voice box. How was this person likely
killed? - ✔✔Ligature strangulation.
✔✔Describe a stab wound. - ✔✔Stab wounds are typically deeper, rather than longer.
✔✔True or false: CPR can cause petechiae. - ✔✔True.
✔✔What is a contact gunshot wound? - ✔✔A close-contact entry wound.
AND SOLUTIONS SCORED A+
✔✔Describe the responsibilities of the supreme court. - ✔✔The Idaho supreme court is
composed of 1 chief justice and 4 associate judges. It is the final court of appeal in
Idaho. It establishes rules for Idaho courts, hears appeals from district courts, and is the
original jurisdiction in some cases.
✔✔What is the golden rule of the reactionary gap? - ✔✔Space, time, and distance must
be controlled by the officers.
✔✔What are some examples of pre-attack indicators? - ✔✔Threats, target glancing,
weight shifting, bladed/boxer stance, muscles tensing, removing hats/watches/clothing,
hand placement, active resistance, nature of crime, armed or having access to
weapons, gang affiliation, history of violence, nature of area.
✔✔In addition to the Graham factors, what are some other factors that influence how
much physical force is reasonably necessary? - ✔✔Number of suspects,
size/age/condition, suspect's history (violence, mental health), use of alcohol/drugs,
special training.
✔✔What did Tennessee v. Garner conclude? - ✔✔Deadly force must not be used
unless it is necessary to prevent escape AND the officer has probable cause to believe
the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the public or
other officers.
✔✔How does an immediate threat differ from an imminent threat? - ✔✔An immediate
threat is happening or is about to happen; an imminent threat is one that is going to
happen in the future.
✔✔True or false: officers can respond with deadly force to the threat of violence, not
just the act of violence itself. - ✔✔True.
✔✔What are some examples of intermediate weapons? - ✔✔Baton, OC spray,
electronic control device.
✔✔Describe the 21-foot "rule." - ✔✔The 21 foot rule, though not actually a rule, is a
study that determined 21 feet is generally the distance an average suspect can cover in
the time it takes an officer to respond to the threat (draw firearm and fire two rounds).
✔✔What is the most common perceptual distortion officers experience when involved in
a shooting? - ✔✔Diminished sound.
✔✔What is OODA loop? - ✔✔Observe, orient, decide, act.
,✔✔When responding to a crime scene, what takes priority over evidence preservation?
- ✔✔Lifesaving.
✔✔What two types of perimeters should be established at a crime scene? - ✔✔Inner
and outer.
✔✔What is the purpose of a crime scene photograph? - ✔✔To accurately depict the
scene without introducing distortion or visual bias.
✔✔How should all death investigations be treated until evidence shows otherwise? -
✔✔As a homicide.
✔✔How long after death is rigor mortis at its greatest? - ✔✔8 to 12 hours.
✔✔How soon after death can rigor mortis appear? - ✔✔Within 2 hours.
✔✔When does lividity typically become fixed? - ✔✔Within 8 hours of death.
✔✔How soon after death can lividity be present? - ✔✔In as little as 30 minutes.
✔✔Where is core temperature taken from? - ✔✔The liver.
✔✔What is decomposition? - ✔✔The physical breakdown of tissue due to bacteria.
✔✔What are the 5 manners of death? - ✔✔Homicide, suicide, accidental, natural,
unknown.
✔✔What are the 4 causes of death? - ✔✔Asphyxia, sharp force trauma, blunt force
trauma, gunshot trauma.
✔✔What is asphyxia? - ✔✔Lack of oxygen.
✔✔What is sharp force trauma? - ✔✔Cutting of tissue.
✔✔What is blunt force trauma? - ✔✔Crushing and tearing of tissue.
✔✔What is gunshot trauma? - ✔✔Injuries produced by a projectile from a firearm.
✔✔What are some things that can result in asphyxia? - ✔✔Strangulation, smothering,
choking, drowning, positional or mechanical asphyxia, chemical asphyxia.
, ✔✔What are the 3 types of blunt force traumas? - ✔✔Abrasions, contusions,
lacerations.
✔✔What are contusions? - ✔✔Bruises.
✔✔What are the 4 types of gunshot wounds? - ✔✔Penetrating, perforating, grazing,
tangential.
✔✔Describe a penetrating gunshot wound. - ✔✔Projectile enters the body, but does not
exit.
✔✔Describe a perforating gunshot wound. - ✔✔Projectile enters and exits the body.
✔✔Describe a grazing gunshot wound. - ✔✔Projectile strikes parallel to the skin,
abrading it, but does not enter.
✔✔Describe a tangential gunshot wound. - ✔✔Projectile skims the skin, making a
series of shallow wounds that go under the skin.
✔✔What is the leading cause of sudden death? - ✔✔Heart disease.
✔✔What actions should be taken once a crime scene is safe? - ✔✔Remove people
from the scene, separate witnesses, and locate and secure entry/exit points.
✔✔True or false: family and media are normally allowed in the outer perimeter of a
crime scene, but not the inner perimeter. - ✔✔False.
✔✔When should a crime scene log be established? - ✔✔As soon as possible to enforce
the perimeter.
✔✔True or false: other officers should be allowed to "just walk through" a crime scene.
This should be allowed. - ✔✔False.
✔✔True or false: strangulation and asphyxia are the same thing. - ✔✔False.
✔✔A victim has a furrow below or level with the voice box. How was this person likely
killed? - ✔✔Ligature strangulation.
✔✔Describe a stab wound. - ✔✔Stab wounds are typically deeper, rather than longer.
✔✔True or false: CPR can cause petechiae. - ✔✔True.
✔✔What is a contact gunshot wound? - ✔✔A close-contact entry wound.
