City Of Minneapolis: Mayor Frey Imposes Immediate Moratorium On Request, Execution Of No-Knock Warrants

Press release from the City of Minneapolis:

February 4, 2022

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has imposed a moratorium on both the request and execution of no-knock warrants in the City of Minneapolis. While the moratorium is in place, the mayor and MPD leadership will work with national experts DeRay McKesson and Dr. Pete Kraska of Eastern Kentucky University to review and suggest revisions to the department’s policy. McKesson and Kraska helped shape Breonna’s Law in Louisville and have spearheaded significant reforms to unannounced entry policies associated with no-knock warrants in states across the country.

This new support will complement the work already underway and being led by the mayor’s Community Safety Workgroup.

“No matter what information comes to light, it won’t change the fact that Amir Locke’s life was cut short,” said Frey. “To ensure safety of both the public and officers until a new policy is crafted, I’m issuing a moratorium on both the request and execution of such warrants in Minneapolis. I am grateful that Mr. McKesson and Dr. Kraska have agreed to assess our current policy and lend their expertise to further revisions.”

In law enforcement, the terms “unannounced” and “no-knock” warrants are often used interchangeably. In the fall of 2020, Mayor Frey issued an official policy restricting the execution of no-knock/unannounced warrants. This policy required officers to announce their presence prior to entry in all but exigent circumstances.

“Over the last several years, our team has been working with jurisdictions across the country to implement meaningful changes to search warrant execution laws and policies,” said McKesson. “On our call, it was clear that Mayor Frey is committed to making changes to these processes in order to protect lives in Minneapolis and we are ready to lend a hand in this critical work.”

“I'm eager to roll up my sleeves and start in on this substantive work with Mayor Frey and City of Minneapolis staff who are demonstrating their dedication to real change through this collaborative partnership,” said Dr. Kraska. “I stand ready to put my academic research and expertise to work for the people of Minneapolis to ensure the MPD is not only in line with industry best-practices, but pushing to be at the forefront of this critical area of police reform.”

With the moratorium in effect, the only permissible way for MPD officers to execute a warrant is the “knock-and-announce” approach, which includes knocking, announcing, waiting a reasonable amount of time and only then entering. To execute a no-knock warrant under the moratorium, there must be an imminent threat of harm to an individual or the public and then the warrant must be approved by the Chief.

This press release was produced by the City of Minneapolis. The views expressed here are the author’s own.