Mayor Fischer signs 'Breonna's Law,' banning no-knock warrants in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Mayor Greg Fischer signed "Breonna's Law" on Friday, banning the use of no-knock warrants in Louisville.

The new law is named after Breonna Taylor, who was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police after they executed a no-knock warrant at her apartment on March 13 as part of a drug investigation. Police shot the 26-year-old EMT eight times after her boyfriend, who didn't know police were executing a raid, fired at officers.

The Louisville Metro Council passed Breonna's Law on a unanimous vote Thursday. Fischer had previously suspended the use of no-knock warrants indefinitely.

"I'm proud of this moment and of our council and to serve in a city where so many people are standing up and speaking out and demanding action, and I say let's continue that and let's continue that work together," Fischer said during a signing ceremony on June 12. "That is the quickest way to get us to a just future."

The elimination of no-knock warrants is one of many demands made by protesters who have condemned police violence in Louisville and throughout the U.S. in recent weeks.

"Thank you to those whose emphatic cries of enough have fueled the marches, the protests, the movement sweeping our country, sweeping our city and have filled the streets of America and helped bring us to this moment," Fischer said.

"This, of course, is just one step, one victory forward in the fight for justice and peace and equity in our city and nation," he said. "... We know we've got a long way to go, but we're only going to get there if we do it together."

Under the new legislation, officers executing any search warrant must physically knock on an entry door at the premises and "clearly and verbally announce as law enforcement having a search warrant in a manner than can be heard by the occupants," according to a news release from Metro Council. Barring pressing circumstances, officers must then "wait a minimum of 15 seconds or for a reasonable amount of time for occupants to answer the door, whichever is greater, before entering the premises."

Breonna Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer speaks after Breonna's Law passes — Tamika Palmer (second from left), Breonna Taylor's mother, speaks after the passing of Breonna's Law on Thursday, June 11, 2020, in Louisville, Ky.

Breonna's Law also requires that body cameras be worn and activated by all officers present for at least five minutes before and after a warrant is issued. The body camera footage must also be retained for at last five years.

Before Breonna's Law passed Thursday in Louisville, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., announced that he filed legislation prohibiting the use of no-knock warrants around the country. Paul's legislation is called the "Justice for Breonna Taylor Act."

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