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We have been intensely focused on criminal justice issues that plague America. In this in-depth and exclusive episode, we examine what exactly is a “no knock warrant”.
On March 13th we reach the 2-year anniversary of the tragic killing of Breonna Taylor, when the Louisville, Kentucky Metro Police kicked in her front door, fatally shooting and killing the 26-year-old EMT and Hospital Assistant while executing a no-knock warrant at her home. Coupling that fatal incident with the killing of Amir Locke on February 3rd, 2022 in Minneapolis, MN, where bodycam footage showed him asleep under a blanket on his sofa, when police opened the door to his apartment, then shot and killed him – we investigate further no-knock warrants.
These high-profile cases are just two instances that have caused immeasurable heartache and suffering, especially within communities of color, where a predominance of these warrants are served.
We don’t need over-policing nor under-policing. We certainly don’t need the on-going style and manner of confrontational policing that continues to impact disproportionately in communities of color.
In the U.S. a no-knock warrant is a warrant that is issued by a judge or magistrate that allows law enforcement to enter a property without immediate prior notification of the residents, such as by knocking or ringing a doorbell or announcing themselves.
Serving a no-knock warrant is high risk for the occupants and for the officers involved.
Our expert in Policing & Public Safety, (Ret) Sgt. Victor Hayes, a highly decorated Supervisor who served 4 decades with distinction, merit and honor with the Cleveland Division of Policing, shares his vast experience working the “mean streets” of Cleveland, Ohio.
While only 54 words in length, the 4th Amendment to the US Constitution, part of the Bill of Rights, plays a huge significance in our daily lives. This amendment forbids unreasonable searches and seizures of an individual’s property.
Stating that: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the person or things to be seized.”
In this episode we explore:
● The origin of no-knock warrants.
The facts that:
● no-knock warrants were born out of the failed “War on Drugs” which has been and always was more a war on class and race than anything else.
We analyze more than 800 SWAT deployments involving no-knock and tactical entries, and found through a review of court records and interviews that 94 civilians and 13 law enforcement officers were killed in no-knock warrant raids in the US between 2010 – 2016.
● You'll hear nationwide what action is being taken regarding no-knock warrants.
● Does your state permit or ban no knock warrants?
● Can you go to bed at night in the comfort and security of your own home with the expectation that the police won’t kick down the door and kill you in cold blood?
Trust and accountability between law enforcement and the communities they are sworn to protect is essential to advancing the goal of 21st century effective policing.
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Phil Rizzo, EP