Free LA POST Level 1 Exam Flashcards

Level 1 - Basic Law Enforcement Peace Officer, minimum 496 hours. Level 2 - Basic Correctional Peace Officer, minimum 249 hours. Level 3 - Correctional Officer, minimum 92 hours. Levels 1 and 2 require POST firearms qualification; Level 3 does not. R.S. 40:2404.2 sets a 400-hour statutory floor for Level 1 core curriculum, and the POST Council's 496-hour standard sits above it.

(1) Absences, excused or unexcused, exceeding 10% of total instruction hours or 10% of any single block. (2) Failing to earn 70% or higher on each block of instruction. (3) Failing to earn 80% or higher on firearms qualification. (4) Failing to earn 70% or higher on the POST certification exam. These are four independent gates - a strong exam score does not offset a failed block.

No. The official POST FAQ states the exam is available only after successful completion of the respective POST certification training course. There is no test-out path. Out-of-state transfers, returning officers after a five-year break, and eligible military police officers must all complete the required instructional blocks at a POST academy first, then pass the statewide exam with 70% or better.

One retest may be administered, and only if the agency head requests it. The student must wait a minimum of 15 working days and take it within a maximum of 30 working days. Failing the retest means completing another entire basic training course and satisfying all POST requirements again. There is no third attempt on the same academy class (LAC 22:III.4703(C)(2)).

Full-time peace officers: complete a council-approved training program and pass the council-approved examination within one calendar year of initial employment. Part-time or reserve officers hired on or after January 1, 2022: within three calendar years. Missing the deadline bars the person from exercising peace officer authority, though administrative duties remain permitted (R.S. 40:2405(A)).

20 hours per calendar year: 8 hours firearms, 4 hours officer survival, 2 hours legal updates, and 6 hours electives. An officer who does not finish by December 31 is placed on a 90-day suspension of POST certification. If the hours are still not completed in that window, the certification becomes invalid and a POST Refresher course at an accredited academy is required.

Revocation is mandatory on conviction of malfeasance in office, or conviction of an offense that restricts the officer's constitutional right to bear arms. Revocation is discretionary (hearing required) for involuntary termination over civil rights violations after remedies are exhausted, conviction of misdemeanor domestic abuse battery (R.S. 14:35.3) or any felony, failure to complete required training, voluntary surrender, or a judicial disposition ordering revocation.

A public officer or employee commits malfeasance by (1) intentionally refusing or failing to perform a duty lawfully required of him, (2) intentionally performing that duty in an unlawful manner, or (3) knowingly permitting a subordinate to do either. For a Louisiana peace officer the stakes are unique: a malfeasance conviction is one of only two grounds on which POST certification SHALL be revoked, with no hearing discretion.

Reports must record what you saw, heard, said, and did in factual, chronological, first-person terms - not conclusions. A false or shaded report creates Brady/Giglio impeachment material that follows you to every future case, and 'dishonesty or deception in violation of statute, ordinance, or agency policy' is an enumerated ground for a POST suspension hearing. Correct errors by supplement, never by altering the original.

Annual in-service (R.S. 40:2404.2A), Louisiana Code of Ethics training (R.S. 42:1170), preventing sexual harassment (R.S. 42:343), sexual assault training (R.S. 40:2405.8C(3)), homicide investigator training required to be a lead homicide investigator (R.S. 40:2405.8B), domestic violence training (R.S. 40:2405.8E(2)), deaf and hard of hearing training (R.S. 40:2405.8F(2)), and human trafficking training (R.S. 40:2405.7D(1)).

Non-deadly and deadly force by an officer is judged under the Fourth Amendment standard of objective reasonableness, from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene, without 20/20 hindsight, allowing for split-second decisions in tense, uncertain, rapidly evolving situations. The three core factors: severity of the crime at issue, whether the subject poses an immediate threat, and whether the subject is actively resisting or attempting to evade arrest by flight.

Deadly force to stop a fleeing suspect is an unreasonable seizure unless the officer has probable cause to believe the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others. Flight alone is never enough. The old common-law 'any fleeing felon' rule is dead: the question is threat, not offense classification.

Article 215.1(A) lets an officer stop a person in a public place he reasonably suspects is committing, has committed, or is about to commit an offense, and demand name, address, and an explanation of actions. Under (B), a frisk is permitted only when the officer also reasonably suspects he is in danger, and it is limited to the outer clothing for a dangerous weapon; a full search of the person requires reasonable suspicion that the person possesses a dangerous weapon.

Warnings are required only when both CUSTODY and INTERROGATION are present; roadside Terry questioning and voluntary statements usually are neither. Then: (1) Quarles public-safety exception allows unwarned questions about an immediate danger such as a hidden weapon; (2) Berghuis requires an unambiguous invocation of silence or counsel; (3) Edwards means that once counsel is requested, interrogation must stop until counsel is present or the suspect re-initiates.

Louisiana's Right to Privacy clause protects person, property, communications, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches, seizures, or invasions of privacy, and requires a warrant to state the lawful purpose or reason for the search. Critically, it gives standing to ANY PERSON ADVERSELY AFFECTED by an unlawful search - broader than the federal rule that a defendant may only assert his own privacy interest.

Voluntary consent (from someone with authority, and revocable); search incident to lawful arrest; plain view (lawful vantage point, incriminating nature immediately apparent); exigent circumstances including hot pursuit, imminent destruction of evidence, and emergency aid; the automobile exception (probable cause plus a readily mobile vehicle); inventory searches under standardized agency policy; and the Terry protective frisk. Everything else needs a warrant.

Arizona v. Gant (2009): after arresting an occupant, an officer may search the passenger compartment only if the arrestee is unsecured and within reaching distance of it, or it is reasonable to believe the vehicle contains evidence of the offense of arrest. Riley v. California (2014): a cell phone found on an arrestee cannot be searched incident to arrest - get a warrant. Seizing the phone to prevent destruction is still allowed.

A crime in Louisiana is only that conduct defined as criminal in the Criminal Code, in other acts of the legislature, or in the state constitution. Unlike common-law states, a Louisiana officer cannot charge an offense that exists only in judicial tradition - every arrest must trace to a statute or ordinance. This is the practical face of Louisiana's civil-law system, alongside parishes instead of counties and 64 elected parish sheriffs.

Battery (R.S. 14:33) is the intentional use of force or violence upon the person of another, or intentionally administering a poison or other noxious substance. Assault (R.S. 14:36) is an ATTEMPT to commit a battery, or intentionally placing another in reasonable apprehension of receiving a battery - no touching required. Aggravated assault (R.S. 14:37) is simply an assault committed with a dangerous weapon.

Under $1,000: up to 6 months and/or a $1,000 fine. $1,000 to under $5,000: up to 5 years, with or without hard labor. $5,000 to under $25,000: up to 10 years, with or without hard labor. $25,000 or more: up to 20 years at hard labor. Key rule for officers: when a theft is committed by a number of distinct acts, the AGGREGATE amount determines the grade (subsection D) - so document every incident in a series.

All three are a taking of something of value from the person or immediate control of another by force or intimidation. Armed robbery (R.S. 14:64) - the offender IS armed with a dangerous weapon. First degree robbery (R.S. 14:64.1) - the offender LEADS THE VICTIM TO REASONABLY BELIEVE he is armed. Simple robbery (R.S. 14:65) - force or intimidation with no weapon and no such belief. The victim's perception is what separates first degree from simple.

Simple burglary (R.S. 14:62) is the UNAUTHORIZED ENTERING of any dwelling, vehicle, watercraft, or other structure with intent to commit a felony or theft therein - note there is no 'breaking' element and no nighttime element. Aggravated burglary (R.S. 14:60) applies to an inhabited dwelling or a place where a person is present when the offender is armed with a dangerous weapon, arms himself after entering, or commits a battery while there or while entering or leaving.

The officer's action must be LAWFUL first. Obstruction then includes flight before restraint after notice of arrest; violence or resistance after arrest and before jail; refusing to give a name or giving false identity to the arresting or detaining officer; congregating on a public street and refusing to move on when ordered; crossing a police cordon; and a lawfully detained driver's failure to produce a license when the officer has exhausted other means of identification.

A battery committed without the victim's consent when the offender has reasonable grounds to believe the victim is a police officer acting in performance of duty. 'Police officer' expressly includes deputies, marshals, constables, correctional and juvenile detention officers, wildlife agents, state park wardens, probation and parole officers, and federal officers. If the battery produces an injury requiring medical attention the exposure jumps to one to five years, with a mandatory portion served without benefit.

(1) The offense was committed in the officer's presence - and if it is a misdemeanor the arrest must be immediate or on close pursuit. (2) The person has committed a felony, even outside the officer's presence. (3) The officer has reasonable cause (equivalent to probable cause) to believe the person committed an offense, even outside his presence. (4) Positive and reliable information that another officer holds a warrant. Under 213(B), an officer in close pursuit may enter another Louisiana jurisdiction to make the arrest.

La. C.Cr.P. art. 215.1(D) bars detaining a motorist longer than reasonably necessary to complete the investigation and issue a citation, absent reasonable suspicion of additional criminal activity. This tracks Rodriguez v. United States (2015), which held that extending a completed stop even briefly for a dog sniff is unlawful without independent reasonable suspicion. You may still compel compliance with Title 32 and Title 47 administrative requirements.

A person shall submit peaceably to a LAWFUL arrest, and the person making a lawful arrest may use REASONABLE force to effect the arrest and detention and to overcome any resistance or threatened resistance. Two consequences: the lawfulness of the arrest is the threshold question, and 'reasonable' is measured by the same objective-reasonableness lens as Graham v. Connor - state authority never rises above the Fourth Amendment ceiling.

The sheriff or officer having custody of an arrested person shall bring him promptly, and in any case within 72 hours of arrest, before a judge for appointment of counsel. Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays are EXCLUDED from the 72-hour count. Appearance may be by telephone or audio-video if local rule allows. Failure to comply exposes the agency to a civil claim for illegal detention.

Under La. C.Cr.P. art. 382, only an offense punishable by death or by life imprisonment must be instituted by grand jury indictment. Every other district court prosecution may be instituted by indictment OR by a bill of information signed by the district attorney. Parish and city court prosecutions are instituted by affidavit or information. Most Louisiana felonies never see a grand jury.

Capital cases: 12 jurors, all must concur. Offenses committed on or after January 1, 2019 where punishment is NECESSARILY confinement at hard labor: 12 jurors, all must concur. Offenses where punishment MAY be confinement at hard labor: 6 jurors, all must concur. Offenses committed before January 1, 2019 used a 10-of-12 rule, which Ramos v. Louisiana (2020) held unconstitutional.

Since the 2024 amendments the offense is titled 'operating a vehicle while impaired,' not 'operating while intoxicated.' It covers any motor vehicle, aircraft, watercraft, vessel, or other means of conveyance when the operator is impaired by alcoholic beverages, has a BAC of 0.08 percent or more, or is impaired by any other drug or combination. A valid driver's license is not an element and lacking one is not a defense.

Under R.S. 32:662 for drivers 21 and over: 0.05 or less presumes NOT under the influence; above 0.05 but below 0.08 raises no presumption but may be considered with other evidence; 0.08 or more presumes under the influence. Under 21, R.S. 14:98.6 sets zero tolerance at 0.02 or more. A breath-tested subject must be given the timely option of a blood test.

Operating a vehicle on Louisiana public highways implies consent to chemical testing when an officer has reasonable grounds to believe the driver was impaired. Before requesting the test the officer must read the standardized DPS-approved rights form, which covers Miranda rights and the suspension consequences of refusal or of a result at or above 0.08 (0.02 if under 21). A person who is dead, unconscious, or otherwise incapable of refusal is deemed NOT to have withdrawn consent.

Responding to an emergency call, pursuing an actual or suspected violator, or responding to (but not returning from) a fire alarm, the driver may park irrespective of the chapter, proceed past a red or stop signal only after slowing or stopping as necessary for safe operation, exceed speed limits so long as he does not endanger life or property, and disregard direction-of-movement rules. Limits: audible or visual signals must be in use, and nothing relieves the driver of the duty of DUE REGARD or protects him from the consequences of RECKLESS DISREGARD for the safety of others.

Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus - involuntary jerking of the eye, scored on lack of smooth pursuit, distinct nystagmus at maximum deviation, and onset before 45 degrees. Walk-and-Turn and One-Leg Stand are divided-attention tests measuring the ability to follow instructions while performing physical tasks. All three must be administered in the standardized manner to retain validity; document the clues observed, not your conclusion of impairment.

If the officer has reason to believe a family or household member or dating partner has been abused AND the abusing party is in violation of a temporary restraining order, preliminary or permanent injunction, or protective order, the officer SHALL immediately arrest the abusing party. This is mandatory, not discretionary, and it does not depend on the violation occurring in the officer's presence.

The officer shall use all reasonable means to prevent further abuse. Arrest is required where probable cause exists that AGGRAVATED or SECOND DEGREE battery was committed, whether or not in the officer's presence. For simple assault, aggravated assault, or simple battery, arrest is required when the officer reasonably believes there is impending danger to the victim's physical safety in the officer's absence; if there is no such cause, arrest is discretionary (Ch.C. art. 1573; R.S. 46:2140(B)).

When accounts conflict, the officer shall evaluate EACH account separately to determine whether one party was the predominant aggressor - dual arrest is not the default. R.S. 46:2141 requires a written report of every investigated domestic abuse allegation whether or not an arrest is made, including the complainant's statement and case disposition. R.S. 46:2142 gives officers acting in good faith and with due care immunity from civil liability.

Under R.S. 14:13, those who have not reached age ten are exempt from criminal responsibility, though juvenile court jurisdiction is unaffected. Under Children's Code art. 305(A), a child who was 15 or older at the time of first degree murder, second degree murder, first degree (aggravated) rape, or aggravated kidnapping leaves juvenile jurisdiction once an indictment is returned or a continued custody hearing finds probable cause, and is then handled in adult criminal court.

R.S. 14:18 makes conduct justifiable when it is an apparently authorized and reasonable fulfillment of the duties of public office, or a reasonable accomplishment of a LAWFUL arrest. La. C.Cr.P. art. 220 supplies the matching authority to use reasonable force. Both stand on the arrest being lawful and the force being reasonable, so state justification collapses whenever Graham v. Connor's objective-reasonableness test is failed.

Under R.S. 14:19(C)-(D) and 14:20(C)-(D), a person not engaged in unlawful activity who is somewhere he has a right to be has NO DUTY TO RETREAT and may meet force with force, and no finder of fact may weigh the possibility of retreat. But R.S. 14:21 bars the aggressor from claiming self-defense. So capture who started it, whether either party was engaged in unlawful activity, and each person's right to be there.

De-escalation, bias policing recognition, sudden in-custody death, and crisis intervention - the last expressly including law enforcement interaction with persons with mental illness and persons with developmental disabilities. Delivery may be classroom or internet instruction. These map to the Crisis Intervention, Use of Force, and Officer Survival instructional blocks.

Do not leave a restrained subject prone. Once handcuffed, move the subject to a seated or recovery position, keep weight off the back and chest, monitor breathing and level of consciousness continuously, and summon EMS when the subject shows extreme agitation, hyperthermia, sustained struggle, or altered mental status. Statements like 'I can't breathe' are a medical emergency, not resistance.

An unbroken, documented record of every person who had custody of an item from seizure to court, showing who collected it, when, where, and every transfer since. Break it with unsealed or unlabeled packaging, gaps in the transfer log, a shared or unlocked temporary storage point, or an item touched by someone not recorded. A break rarely destroys the evidence outright, but it hands the defense an admissibility and weight argument.

Brady v. Maryland (1963) requires disclosure of evidence favorable to the accused and material to guilt or punishment; Giglio v. United States (1972) extends it to impeachment material, including deals with witnesses and an officer's own sustained dishonesty findings. The prosecutor cannot disclose what you never wrote down, so document exculpatory statements, inconsistent witness accounts, and failed identifications and forward them to the district attorney.

Order: officer and public safety, then medical aid, then apprehension, then scene protection. Establish a single controlled entry and exit path, set a boundary larger than you think you need, start a log of everyone who enters and leaves, and do not move or handle anything you do not have to. Louisiana treats interference seriously - R.S. 14:134.2 makes malfeasance in office by tampering with evidence a distinct crime.

Massive hemorrhage, Airway, Respirations, Circulation, Hypothermia/Head injury. Unlike ABC, MARCH puts bleeding first because uncontrolled extremity hemorrhage is the leading cause of preventable death in trauma. Apply a tourniquet high and tight on the limb, at least two to three inches above the wound and never over a joint, tighten until bleeding stops, and record the time of application.

Compress the center of the chest at 100 to 120 compressions per minute, at least 2 inches (5 cm) but not more than 2.4 inches (6 cm) deep, allowing full chest recoil, at a 30:2 compression-to-breath ratio, minimizing interruptions and applying an AED as soon as it arrives. For a suspected opioid overdose, give naloxone and continue ventilation and CPR - naloxone wears off, so the patient can re-sedate and must still be transported.

Treat every firearm as if it is loaded; never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy; keep your finger off the trigger and outside the guard until your sights are on target and you have decided to fire; and be certain of your target and what lies beyond it. Louisiana adds a hiring-stage rule: anyone employed and commissioned as a peace officer who will perform peace officer duties before attending an academy must complete the prescribed pre-academy firearms training within 30 days of employment.

80 percent or higher is required on the POST firearms qualification - a separate and higher bar than the 70 percent used for the written exam and each instructional block. Officers must requalify annually with an agency-issued or approved handgun on the POST Firearms Qualification Course, scored and reported to POST by a POST-certified firearms instructor. If more than 13 months pass between qualifications, the officer must complete the pre-academy firearms course again.