Andre Locke, the father of Amir Locke, and Minnesota Rep. Brion Curran (DFL) testify in favor of a bill banning no-knock warrants (Elijah Todd-Walden/BLCK Press)
A bill banning the use of no-knock warrants received its second committee hearing Friday morning.
HF 2209 bans the use of no-knock warrants and requires officers to announce their presence loudly and clearly before entering a premise. An amendment to the bill suppresses evidence found in violation of the ban.
‘This is about our rights,” Rep. Brion Curran (DFL), the sponsor of the bill, said. “It’s … about our right to know for certain that when someone enters your home unannounced, you don’t need to second guess if that person might be a police officer.”
Minnesota Justice Coalition President Johnathon McClellan shared his own experience with a no-knock warrant. He said police were about to serve a warrant at his home for a person who had used the address before McClellan had purchased the home.
“I received a call from my children saying the police were at my home,” he said. “The police came inside my house. My kids were scared.”
Andre Locke, the father of Amir Locke, and Linda K. Tyler, Amir Locke’s aunt, also testified in support of the bill. Amir Locke was killed in under a minute by police when Minneapolis SWAT served a no-knock warrant at the apartment where he was staying. Amir Locke was not named in the warrant.
Opponents also say that no-knock warrants are used to protect all parties involved, but a review by the American Legislative Exchange Council found that fatalities for officers doubled when no-knock warrants were executed.