What the future of search warrant execution could look like in Minneapolis
(FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he plans on getting guidance from national experts on how to change no-knock warrant execution in the city of Minneapolis.
One of the people Frey named as a resource for crafting a new policy is Dr. Pete Kraska, who studies policing and police policy at Eastern Kentucky University. Dr. Kraska helped shape policies around warrants in Louisville after the killing of Brianna Taylor.
"This [no-knock warrants] is an extremely risky approach for law enforcement officers themselves and U.S. citizens. To break into somebody’s home with such a high level of aggression, particularly now that so many homeowners are also gun owners," Dr. Kraska.
Dr. Kraska says there are times when law enforcement has a legitimate reason for needing a no-knock warrant, but, under the model he uses as a recommendation to legislatures, law enforcement would have to prove to a judge why a no-knock warrant is necessary.
"There are those rare circumstances, and they come across very infrequently, where they may need a no-knock warrant for child trafficking or a serial rapist or something like that and they can certainly almost in any jurisdiction can get some kind of warrant under exigent circumstances," Dr. Kraska said.
Dr. Kraska says he’s worked with the Campaign Zero group to come up with a model for warrants that they’ve pitched to more than two dozen legislatures.
Under this proposal, law enforcement would need to wait 30 seconds after knocking on a person’s door before forcefully entering the home, they would need to turn on body cameras at least five minutes before executing the warrant, and they could only serve warrants between the hours of 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.
On Monday, the Minneapolis City Council Committee on Policy and Government Oversight will host a presentation on no-knock warrants with policing experts from the University of St. Thomas as well as lawyer Ben Crump, now representing the Locke family.
On Sunday Minneapolis Council Member Elliott Payne posted to Twitter saying at Thursday’s upcoming City Council meeting he plans to "introduce subject matter for an ordinance amending the city charter and creating a department of public safety."
A similar measure was brought to voters in the November 2020 election. In that election, 56 percent of Minneapolis voters voted against the change.