AL POST flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Reasonable suspicion

A particularized and objective basis, supported by specific articulable facts, that criminal activity is afoot. It is a lower standard than probable cause and supports a Terry stop.

Probable cause

A fair probability, based on the totality of circumstances, that a crime has been committed or that evidence of a crime will be found in a particular place or person.

Miranda custody plus interrogation

Miranda warnings are required before custodial interrogation. Custody exists when a reasonable person would not feel free to leave; interrogation includes words or actions reasonably likely to elicit an incriminating response.

Exclusionary rule

Evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment is generally inadmissible in the prosecution's case-in-chief. The fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine extends suppression to derivative evidence.

Terry frisk

A pat-down of the outer clothing for weapons, permitted when an officer has reasonable suspicion that a lawfully detained person is armed and dangerous.

Vehicle exception

A warrantless search of a vehicle is permitted when officers have probable cause that contraband or evidence is inside and the vehicle is readily mobile.

Traffic stop extension

A lawful traffic stop may be extended beyond its original purpose only if independent reasonable suspicion of separate criminal activity arises during the stop.

Inventory search

A warrantless search of a lawfully impounded vehicle conducted according to standardized written procedures, not as a pretext to look for evidence.

Felony stop sequence

A high-risk vehicle stop using positioning, cover, verbal commands, one-at-a-time approach, and control of occupants' hands to reduce officer and public risk.

Chain of custody

A documented, unbroken record of every transfer of evidence, including date, time, person, and purpose, used to establish authenticity and integrity at trial.

Modus operandi

A consistent pattern of behavior used by an offender in committing crimes. It links offenses by behavior rather than by mere similarity of crime type.

Crime scene priority order

The sequence of rendering aid, securing the scene, identifying witnesses, documenting, collecting evidence, and processing the scene.

Interview versus interrogation

Interviews are non-accusatory information gathering; interrogations are accusatory and designed to elicit incriminating statements from a suspect.

Graham v. Connor

The Supreme Court standard holding that use of force is judged by objective reasonableness under the totality of circumstances, including severity of crime, immediate threat, and active resistance or flight.

Tennessee v. Garner

The Supreme Court decision limiting deadly force against fleeing felons to situations where the officer has probable cause the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury.

Duty to intervene

The obligation of an officer who observes excessive force by another officer to intervene when there is a realistic opportunity to prevent or stop it.

Positional asphyxia

A medical emergency caused by restricted breathing from body position, especially prone restraint with weight on the back; the subject should be moved to a recovery position promptly.

Four firearm safety rules

Treat every firearm as loaded, never point at anything you are not willing to destroy, keep your finger off the trigger until sights are on target, and know your target and what is beyond it.

Tap-rack-bang

A malfunction clearance drill for a failure to fire: tap the magazine, rack the slide, and re-engage the target.

Cover versus concealment

Cover stops or deflects incoming rounds; concealment hides the officer from view but does not stop projectiles.

Active listening

A crisis communication skill set including open-ended questions, paraphrasing, reflecting feelings, summarizing, and purposeful silence.

Mental health hold criteria

Statutory criteria generally requiring a mental disorder plus danger to self, danger to others, or grave disability to justify an involuntary evaluation.

Suicide risk assessment

Screening for ideation, plan, means, intent, and prior attempts; access to lethal means increases risk and should be addressed immediately.

Excited delirium

A medical emergency involving extreme agitation, hyperthermia, and altered mental status; it requires EMS response and avoidance of prolonged struggle.

Report narrative essentials

A complete report answers who, what, when, where, why, and how, and identifies all persons, property, and evidence in chronological, factual, first-person past-tense language.

Conclusory versus observable language

Reports should describe observable behavior rather than conclusions; write that the subject clenched his fists and yelled instead of writing that he was uncooperative.

Procedural justice elements

Voice, neutrality, respect, and trustworthiness. These elements build perceived legitimacy of police actions in the community.

Bias-based policing

Any police action initiated on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or national origin rather than on behavior or specific information.

Due regard standard

Emergency vehicle operation must be conducted with due regard for the safety of all persons; statutory exemptions do not protect reckless disregard for safety.

Pursuit termination criteria

Conditions justifying ending a pursuit, including loss of visual or radio contact, excessive speeds in populated areas, and unsafe traffic or weather conditions.

Adult CPR ratio

Thirty chest compressions to two rescue breaths at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute, with a compression depth of at least two inches.

Severe bleeding control

Apply direct pressure first, then a tourniquet if bleeding is not controlled; record the time the tourniquet was applied.