Proposed Bill Would Bring Tighter Restrictions To No-Knock Warrants, But Not A Ban
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- A proposal in the Minnesota Legislature would curtail the use of no-knock warrants to hostage situations when someone's life would be at risk should police announce entry.
Amir Locke's killing during a no-knock raid earlier this month prompted House Democrats to pitch more stringent rules than those approved by the legislature last year, so the no-knock warrants are used in the most rare of circumstances. Locke was laid to rest Thursday.
The bill would allow those warrants only if there is "imminent risk of death or great bodily harm" to somebody held against their will, like a hostage or kidnapping situation. It also requires new quarterly police training on warrants and would bar officers from executing them without that education.
"Today on the day of Amir Locke's funeral, I want us to all recognize we have some blood on our hands," said bill author Rep. Athena Hollins, DFL-St. Paul, during a Thursday hearing. "But today I'm offering us an opportunity for redemption."
Community activists have been calling on the legislature for police accountability measures, their demands punctuated by George Floyd's murder, Daunte Wright's killing during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center and now Locke's death. They say they support Hollins' bill that would strictly limit the use of no-knock warrants and implore swift action.
"It is sickening all around to see this continue to happen—to see a family mourning the death of a loved one and to see the laws and policies still have not changed," said Nekima Levy-Armstrong, a civil rights attorney and activist. "So while we support the bill by [Hollins], which makes a lot of common sense, local jurisdictions don't have to wait for the legislature to take action. You can change the policies on the books now."
Some members of law enforcement testified to a House committee they had concerns about the proposed restrictions and new training requirements. One of the sharpest critics was St. Cloud Police Chief Blair Anderson, who said that the standard to get a warrant is already high—and the bar to clear to get an unannounced warrant is even higher.
He also called the trainings "unfunded mandates" that would burden small law enforcement agencies without the resources.
"When I read the language in this bill, one of the things that occurs to me is that there are perhaps members or supporters of this bill who have no idea what it is we're dealing with on the streets," said Anderson. "We are not dealing with people who simply come to the door and answer it because we knock and ask them politely."
Kelly McCarthy, Mendota Heights chief of police, had a drastically different view: She called on lawmakers to take the bill a step further and completely ban the use of no-knock warrants.
"Banning no knock warrants does not compromise community safety. Officers do not need a warrant to act when they're faced with in progress crimes or matters of eminent safety," she said. "You have the opportunity to completely ban no knock warrants. It's your choice whether or not you waste that."
The bill moved out of the public safety committee on a 10-9 vote Thursday.
Some members of the GOP-controlled Senate have signaled a willingness to discuss further limits to no-knock warrants, but it's unclear if they will support this bill. Republicans in the House committee voted against it.
