The New York Times reports today:
Exactly one year ago, a young woman died as a barrage of police gunfire ripped through the walls of her modest apartment in Louisville, Ky.
That woman was Breonna Taylor, and throughout the country, versions of "Breonna Law" are being considered to address no-knock warrants. One version, HF1762, is headed to the Minnesota House floor, Session Daily's Tim Walker reports in Limits on ‘no-knock’ warrants advance to House Floor.
For the Louisville Courier-Journal, Tessa Duvall and Darcy Costello reported Friday In cities and states across the US, Breonna's Law is targeting deadly no-knock warrants:
On June 11, just 13 weeks after Breonna Taylor had been shot dead by Louisville police, her mother stood on the steps of Louisville Metro Hall to praise the city's passage of "Breonna's Law."
The ordinance banning no-knock search warrants was a testament to her daughter's "agenda to save lives" as an ER tech who dreamed of becoming a nurse, Tamika Palmer told a crowd of supporters.
"I knew she was destined for greatness," she said, her smile beaming. "She's showing it. She's showing it."
In the eight months since, versions of Breonna's Law, have been proposed in cities and states across the U.S. — from Wisconsin to New Mexico, and from Columbus, Ohio, to Pomona, California. . . .
A Courier Journal analysis has found that since the 26-year-old's slaying, at least 84 proposals in no fewer than 33 states would monitor, curtail or ban no-knock warrants: . ..
Back in Minnesota, Walker reports in Limits on ‘no-knock’ warrants advance to House Floor:
Carlotta Madison said what happened to her brother was “horrific.”
Andre Madison died after a no-knock warrant — based on his suspected possession of $5 worth of marijuana — became a chaotic gun battle between Minneapolis police entering the front door of his residence and those entering the rear.
Rep. Athena Hollins (DFL-St. Paul) sponsors HF1762, which would prohibit no-knock warrants when the only underlying crime is suspected drug possession.
The House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Finance and Policy Committee approved the bill, as amended, on a party-line 10-7 vote Friday and sent it to the House Floor. There is no Senate companion.
The use of no-knock warrants — where police are not required to announce their presence before forcibly entering a property — have increased dramatically since the war on drugs began in the 1970s, Hollins said, adding they “are disproportionally executed in Black and brown communities.”
She understands the need for law enforcement to sometimes move with the element of surprise, but that has to be balanced with a citizen’s right to reside safely in their own home.
St. Cloud Police Chief William Blair Anderson opposes the legislation, saying it would raise the level of danger for both police and the suspects being served no-knock warrants.
Prohibiting no-knock warrants when the only underlying crime is suspected drug possession is not the right place to draw the line, he said, and doesn’t fit with his experience as a police officer.
“Wherever there are drugs, there are guns,” he said.
Anderson added that law enforcement should not be prevented from asking a judge for a no-knock warrant based solely on the level of the suspected crime because a suspect’s past history, such as a propensity toward violence, must also be taken into account.
Several Republicans echoed Anderson’s opposition.
The bill would require law enforcement agencies to report quarterly to the Department of Public Safety on their use of no-knock warrants, and require the data received to be reported to the Legislature.
Here's the Minnesota House Information Services YouTube of Friday's testimony in the Minnesota House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Finance and Policy Committee:
Photo: A poster supporting the end of no-knock warrants featuring the image of Breonna Taylor. From the Louisville Courier-Journal.
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