No-knock warrants have gotten a lot of attention - most notably in the death of Breonna Taylor, who was killed in March during a shootout between her boyfriend and Louisville, Kentucky police.
Ohio's Republican attorney general says he doesn't want to ban those warrants, as some communities do, but he and prosecutors in Ohio's largest counties have drafted some reforms. Ohio Public Radio's Karen Kasler reports.
Attorney General Dave Yost says stricter standards for no-knock warrants including requiring officers to announce themselves as soon as possible and to wear clearly-identifiable clothing and body cameras, and to turn them on. And Yost says misdemeanor drug charges would be insufficient for a no-knock warrant. Yost notes some cities are considering eliminating these warrants, which are rare, but Yost says law enforcement needs the option.
“I don’t favor a ban because you cannot adequately foresee every possible instance where a waiver to the knock-and-announce requirement might be necessary to preserve life.”
Yost notes Ohio has been a castle doctrine state since 2008, meaning people can use deadly force to defend themselves in their homes.
