The wrongful and unnecessary death of another Black citizen because of the “no-knock” rule has caused public outrage at the notoriously violent police tactic and a call for change. 

Amir Locke, a Black citizen of Minneapolis,  was fatally shot by police in February while they were executing a “no-knock” search warrant at the apartment he was staying in. 

When police use this tactic, they do not have to announce themselves or make their presence known to anyone inside. 

Locke, a legal gun owner, was sleeping on the couch when police walked into the apartment. He had his gun in his hand, and as he woke up, the police noticed the gun. Bodycam footage showed an officer shooting him less than 10 seconds after they entered the room. 

Police were not there for Locke, as he was not a suspect in the crime for which the warrant was issued.

It was a senseless death and echoed the same feelings of outrage as the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor in 2020, another victim of a no-knock search. 

People are outraged at the blatant disregard that police seem to have for Black lives, and I stand with those people.

How high does the death toll have to be for the government to make a change? Why was this tactic ever allowed to be used? 

No-knock searches are so notoriously dangerous that it’s standard practice for paramedics to be on standby at the scene. That speaks volumes and shows just how deadly this police tool is. 

No-knock warrants do serve a purpose for cases that actually need them. Like if there was a drug cartel hiding out somewhere or a meth lab was discovered. In cases like these, police can say, with absolute certainty, that everyone inside is participating in illegal activity.

That is the only time a no-knock warrant should be allowed to be issued when, without a shadow of a doubt, officers know only criminal activity is happening at the warrant location. 

There’s no reason for them to issue no-knock warrants in residential areas either. There’s no logical reason for police to go into someone’s home, guns-blazing either. 

What would happen if they had gotten the wrong house? Would they still claim no responsibility for their actions? 

The police have already proven they can’t own up to their actions or take responsibility for killing an innocent person. 

Locke had no previous criminal record, he had dreams of being a musician like his father, and he was only 22 when, what should’ve been his long life, was cut short. 

Many states have banned these warrants, and after Locke’s death, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said that his office will propose a full ban on no-knock and no-announce search warrants in the city. 

For that, I am thankful and hopeful that laws will be passed that ban these deadly tactics. These tactics need to be banned from use unless it is an extreme circumstance, and police shouldn’t be using these tactics in non-federal cases or cases where federal agents are not involved. 

Senseless murders such as these have got to stop, life is too precious, and these no-knock and no-announce searches threaten the safety of innocent people.