Kentucky governor signs bill limiting no-knock warrants more than a year after Breonna Taylor’s death
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has signed a bill limiting no-knocks warrants in the state, more than a year after the deadly shooting of Breonna Taylor.
The bill signed Friday by the Democratic governor is not the total statewide ban that activists have been pushing for since demonstrations following the tragic death of Taylor began taking place last year. But it’ll only permit no-knock warrants if there is “clear and convincing evidence” of a violent crime.
The new law also doesn’t prevent cities and towns from banning the warrant completely, according to The Associated Press.
“This is meaningful change,” Beshear said. “It will save lives, and it will move us in the right direction. I know more needs to be done. I know the fight is not over.”
Taylor was a 26-year-old African-American emergency room technician who was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police Department officers in her Kentucky apartment on March 13, 2020, in what was described by her family as a “botched police raid.”
She was shot eight times during the raid, in which officers used a no-knock search warrant. No drugs were ever found, and the warrant was later determined to be flawed.
“While it’s not the full legislation that they wanted in terms of a complete ban on no-knock warrants, they are satisfied that this is a start and a win in a deeply divided General Assembly,” said the family’s attorney, Lonita Baker.
No-knock warrants now must be executed between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. and officers will need to take additional steps to obtain them, the AP reported.
Additionally, judges are required to sign legibly when approving no-knocks warrants, and emergency personnel will need to be nearby during the execution of the warrant.
Beshear signed the bill during an event Friday morning at the Kentucky African American Heritage Center in downtown Louisville.
He invited Taylor’s family and friends to join him “to honor Breonna” as he signed the partial ban.
Her mother, Tamika Palmer, shed tears accepting the pen the governor used to sign the measure.
