In the wake of the shooting of Breonna Taylor by Louisville Police officers using a no-knock search warrant, discussions have taken place across the country regarding their usage and ethics. The Louisville city council voted unanimously to ban no-knock search warrants after Taylor’s death, and now this discussion has come to Arizona.
Two petitions are currently circulating on change.org, seeking to ban no-knock warrants in Arizona: one aimed at city lawmakers in Phoenix, and one aimed at state lawmakers. Together, the petitions have garnered more than 5,000 signatures.
“If our home is invaded, how are we to differentiate between a home invader and the police if they don’t announce their presence?” said Kenneth Cochran, a Tucson smoke shop owner who started the statewide petition. “With a huge percentage of Arizonans legally carrying firearms, this will almost always lead to tragedy.”
These calls for reform are not limited to citizens. In July 2020, Pima County Sheriff Mark Napier issued a document calling for law enforcement reform under the initials ACT: Accountability – Community Engagement – Transparency. Among Napier’s calls for reform is a ban on no-knock warrants, unless approved by the Sheriff, which would “only occur under the extreme circumstances.”
Click below to read the specifics of the petitions:
Ban No-Knock Warrants In Phoenix
Ban No-Knock Warrants in Arizona
This article appears in Oct 22-28, 2020.
The badged enforcers have proven time and time again how sloppy, inhumane and unjust their actions are. They make mistakes and get away with it on our dime. If these were honorable people we wouldn’t have a petition such as this. Police can perform their jobs poorly and illegally while the rest of us suffer. These are domestic terrorists the US Constitution told us to resist.
No-knock warrants are a sad legacy of the failed War on Drugs. They should be banned – they are dangerous, unproductive, and un-American.
The myth of the Breonna Taylor no-knock warrant continues.
Yes there was a no-knock warrant issued but the officers knocked on the door and announced themselves several times.
After Breonna Taylor and her boyfriend did not respond to the officers’ request to open the door they breached it.
Breonna Taylor’s neighbor testified that officers knocked on the door and heard them ID themselves.
There is an audio recording of Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend telling police that he heard knocking on the door and that he fired first when police entered the apartment.
All of the rioting, looting, and destruction of small businesses in Louisville is a result of the lies that you keep repeating. Congratulations. You must be proud.
Breonna Taylor’s death was not a result of a no-knock warrant.