‘Breonna’s Law’ passes in Louisville, KY. What is the new rule on police warrants?
Breonna Taylor’s home of Louisville, Kentucky, unanimously passed a law Thursday night banning the use of no-knock warrants -- a controversial practice Louisville Metro police used the night they burst into the 26-year-old African American woman’s home and shot her at least eight times, outlets report.
The Louisville Metro Council passed “Breonna’s Law” with a 26-0 vote, WLKY reported.
No-knock warrants allow police to enter without any warning and without identifying themselves. LMPD officers had such a warrant signed by a judge for Taylor’s address, which they believed was involved in a drug operation, according to The Louisville Courier Journal.
Police opened fire after Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker, lying in bed next to her, first shot at police, The Louisville Courier Journal reported. Even though it had the no-knock warrant, LMPD says officers knocked several times before entering. Neighbors say that isn’t true.
Police and witness accounts differ on the events of that night, and none of the three officers involved was wearing a body camera, according to the outlet, but Taylor’s death has brought the issue of no-knock warrants to the national level.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul introduced a bill Thursday that would prohibit no-knocks for both federal and local law enforcement agencies that receive money from the Department of Justice, according to a statement.
“After talking with Breonna Taylor’s family, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s long past time to get rid of no-knock warrants. This bill will effectively end no-knock raids in the United States,” Paul said.
Like George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in the custody of Minneapolis police, Taylor’s death has fueled nationwide protests demanding large-scale changes to policing in the United States, and legislators are seizing the moment.
Paul’s “Justice for Breonna Taylor Act” is just the latest proposal aimed at law enforcement to come out of D.C.
House and Senate Democrats are looking to enact a “chokehold ban,” end no-knock warrants for certain drug cases, and limit “qualified immunity” in order to make police officers more open to lawsuits, outlets report.
