“They're not functionally doing anything to keep people safer or reduce crime.'
that it is considering expanding a policy that will limit the use of no-knock warrants by some federal agents. But activists argue that these restrictions aren’t enough to address violent policing.
“When Breonna Taylor was killed, there became a large outcry for the banning of no-knock warrants, which on the surface seemed to make sense, since it was a no-knock warrant that really was the vehicle [through] which her murder took place," says Ryan. "But we learned that other types of search warrants, commonly known as ‘knock-and-announce’ search warrants, are hugely problematic as well.
In addition to banning no-knock warrants, Campaign Zero is calling for provisions on other warrants that: requiring more up-front information for search warrant applications; banning all plainclothes officers from executing search warrants; requiring an audible announcement; requiring at least a 30-second wait for a response before any further action; banning the use of flash-bang and military-style devices; and eliminating nighttime raids.
“Just looking at no-knock warrants will not resolve this conflict,” says Ryan. “It’s a larger issue of search warrants as a class and category. With provisions in place, Amir Locke would be alive — as he should be.”