CO POST flashcards
CO POST · Build recall with a focused review session.
33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- POST
- Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training Board; sets training and certification standards for peace officers under Title 24, Article 31, Part 1, C.R.S.
- Basic certificate
- Provisional POST certification granted after an officer completes required entry-level training and meets statutory eligibility requirements; it precedes permanent certification.
- Permanent certification
- POST certification granted after an officer completes the required probationary service period without disqualifying conduct and meets all continuing training requirements.
- Peace officer definition
- Statutorily limited list of positions, such as police officer, sheriff, undersheriff, deputy sheriff, and Colorado State Patrol officer, that carry peace officer authority when certified.
- Reasonable grounds
- Colorado statutory phrase for probable cause: facts and circumstances that would lead a reasonable officer to believe a crime was committed and the person committed it.
- Probable cause
- Constitutional threshold for arrest and warrant issuance; facts sufficient for a reasonable person to believe an offense occurred and the accused committed it.
- Reasonable suspicion
- Specific and articulable facts supporting a belief that criminal activity is afoot; permits a brief investigatory detention, not a full arrest.
- Terry stop
- Brief investigatory detention based on reasonable suspicion; a frisk for weapons requires separate reasonable suspicion that the person is armed and dangerous.
- Miranda custody
- Objective test asking whether a reasonable person would feel free to leave; if custody and interrogation combine, warnings are required before questioning.
- Custodial interrogation
- Questioning or words and actions reasonably likely to elicit an incriminating response while the person is in custody; triggers Miranda warning requirement.
- Graham factors
- Use-of-force reasonableness factors: severity of the crime, immediate threat to safety, and active resistance or flight; evaluated from a reasonable officer's perspective.
- Deadly force standard
- Permitted only when the officer reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent imminent death or serious bodily injury, or escape of a suspect posing such imminent threat.
- Duty to intervene
- An officer who observes another officer using excessive force must intervene when in a position to do so and must report the incident to a supervisor.
- Duty to report
- Officers must report excessive force and certain misconduct by other officers; retaliation against a reporting officer is prohibited by law and policy.
- De-escalation
- Required training and practice using time, distance, cover, and communication to reduce the need for force when feasible before escalating.
- Crisis intervention
- Training and response approach for persons with behavioral health conditions; Colorado law requires consideration of diversion to treatment when criteria are met.
- Procedural justice
- Framework emphasizing voice, neutrality, respect, and trustworthy motives in police interactions to build legitimacy and voluntary compliance with law.
- SARA model
- Problem-oriented policing process: Scanning, Analysis, Response, and Assessment; used to identify and address recurring community problems systematically.
- Warrant requirement
- Searches and seizures generally require a warrant supported by probable cause and oath or affirmation, subject to recognized exceptions.
- Consent search
- Search permitted by voluntary consent; the officer must establish that consent was freely given and may be limited in scope or withdrawn at any time.
- Search incident to arrest
- Exception permitting search of the arrestee and the area within immediate control to prevent weapons access and evidence destruction, tied to a lawful custodial arrest.
- Exigent circumstances
- Exception to the warrant requirement when an emergency, such as imminent destruction of evidence or danger to life, makes obtaining a warrant impractical.
- Plain view doctrine
- Officer lawfully present may seize evidence of a crime when its incriminating character is immediately apparent without additional search.
- Automobile exception
- Exception permitting warrantless search of a vehicle when probable cause exists that it contains evidence or contraband, extending to containers within the vehicle.
- Chain of custody
- Documented record of evidence from collection through disposition; unbroken documentation supports admissibility and explains any gaps.
- Elements of offense
- Each statutory element must be supported by facts in the report; conclusory statements are insufficient to prove the offense or support later review.
- Use-of-force reporting
- Colorado requires documentation and reporting of use-of-force incidents; agencies submit required data and officers document the legal and factual basis.
- Annual in-service
- Continuing training hours required to maintain POST certification; failure to complete can result in lapse or decertification proceedings.
- Decertification
- Board process that removes POST certification, based on grounds such as certain convictions, training failure, or specified misconduct findings.
- Conflict of interest
- Ethical prohibition on using police position for personal gain or acting when a personal interest could impair impartial judgment.
- Peer support confidentiality
- Protections for communications with peer support personnel; agencies must provide critical incident support while respecting confidentiality limits.
- Implicit bias training
- Required POST topic addressing unconscious associations that can affect perception and decisions; aims to reduce disparities in police encounters.
- Report writing standard
- Reports must state facts supporting each legal element, the basis for stops and searches, and all force used, without conclusory filler.