Minnesota House Democrats said Tuesday new legislation further restricting the use of no-knock warrants statewide could advance as soon as next week as they respond to the raid by Minneapolis police that killed Amir Locke last week.
"Why do we remain so tied to this practice that is known to harm citizens as well as police officers?" Rep. Athena Hollins (DFL-St. Paul) said Tuesday. "Law enforcement has many tools, better tools, at their disposal to fight crime."
Hollins, who is authoring the new bill which has not been released publicly, said Tuesday that the legislation would build on a law passed in 2021 which strengthened the requirements to obtain a no knock warrant, and limited the circumstance where one could be used.
Under the law passed last year, no knock warrants are prohibited only for alleged crimes involving drugs for personal use.
"You shouldn't be gunned down by the police in your home or in a place where you think is safe, especially if you've broken no law or done anything specifically to warrant that moment," said Nneka Constantino, a cousin of Amir Locke.
Earlier in the week, State Senator Warren Limmer (R-Maple Grove) who chairs the Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy committee, told reporters he needed more information about the warrant that led to Locke's killing and the he did not support a no-knock warrant ban.
Related
Rep. Hollins said despite a possibly turbulent path for the legislation banning no-knock warrants, House Democrats remained confident there would be bi-partisan support.
"We've had some conversations in the House on the GOP side with members who are interested in opening up to negotiations and we've even had some tentative interest from the Senate GOP side," Hollins added. "I'm very hopeful that we'll be able to get this across the line."
The bill is expected as soon as Thursday with hearings likely to begin next week.
According to a news release from the House DFL Caucus, "The new legislation includes a high bar for exceptions, only allowing no-knock warrants to be used in extreme circumstances where there is evidence that a civilian’s life would otherwise be put in danger.”