Forget Amir Locke for a second – which I think was a bad shoot – no-knock warrants were originally intended to be used only in the most extreme circumstances but have become the norm.
For Amir Locke specifically, he had a CCW, his name was not on the search warrant, and from the time to door was kicked in to when he was shot was a few seconds.
Too many people get killed needlessly with no-knock warrants.
The justification always is “the safety of the officers.” That has become a bullshit catch-all.
Our Constitution was specifically written to prioritize the safety of innocent people over the government.
We need to reestablish that principle in law enforcement.
Update:
Based on a comment I will add that Judges who rubber stamp no-knock warrants also should be subject to the same vibe check as cops. To be fair.
Some years ago I knew a guy who was shot during a no-knock search warrant raid. All he knew was someone was breaking down his front door so he went to investigate with revolver in hand. Luckily he survived so he was able to sue the city over this. He won because the meth lab they were looking for didn’t exist.
A NH libertarian / Free Stater makes it to GFZ
I’m not entirely comfortable with this. It lets the judges who rubber stamped those warrants off scot free. How about an addendum: for every no-knock warrant a judge signs off on, they get no-knocked at some unspecified date in the future?
See update
Dont make it political! Sorry couldn’t resist and can’t agree more!
If “hostage negotiators” can spend hours talking people who are actively threatening innocent bystanders, why is there ANY case for a no-knock warrant? Knock on the door to serve the warrant. If the door doesn’t open, surround the place and activate the negotiators. Wait until the guy gives in (and add to the charges as needed).
And, of course, call the local sewer, water and power folks to isloate the sewer section so they perps can’t successfully flush evidence. Was this not part of the original justification for the no-knock raid process?
I knew of at least one raid where they tapped the sewer line and captured the evidence…
“Update:
Based on a comment I will add that Judges who rubber stamp no-knock warrants also should be subject to the same vibe check as cops. To be fair.”
Suggestion: Make the judge take point on the warrant he approves.
Welcome to Minneapolis Minnesota. We lead the way in Policing Disasters.
Amir Locke
George Floyd
Four days of George Floyd Riots
Daunte Wright (That was actually a suburban PD)
Justine Ruszczyk Damond (Mohammed Noor was resentenced to 4 years and 9 months for the killing. Should be out soon!)
Philandro Castile (Another different suburban PD,)
Winston Boogie Smith (Local cops working under feds — So NO Body Cams)
All since 2016.
And if the cops or judge get victimized by a home-invasion crew who dresses in black surplus tactical gear and pretends to be SWAT … well … I have zero sympathy.
Criminals wouldn’t pretend to be SWAT if real SWAT hadn’t established the precedent. Karma’s a b!tch.
It used to be (decades ago), when a no-knock warrant was served (locally), great care was taken to confirm who was present in the house (including if there were kids and how many) and to confirm the correct address (including pictures of the house and the wanted suspect/s). I believe things have gotten looser since then, even locally.
If you haven’t read it and want to rage constantly while trying to read, read Rise of the Warrior Cop.
That book pretty handily dispels the notion that a blanket level of caution, care, consideration, or thought for our rights was ever really given, even in the good ol days.
I suspect most cops would be perfectly happy strutting around in fancy Hugo Boss duds, terrorizing people.
The only justification I can come up with for a no-knock would be someone holding hostages, or someone with a bomb. Otherwise, no.
Those are not situations where a warrant is required. Warrants, by definition, involve situations where prior planning is applicable.