No-knock warrants illegal in Alabama
Credit: WAAY ABC Huntsville, AL
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It's not connected to her death!
The waay 31 i-team wanted to know if police in north alabama use no knock warrants.
We learned they can't.
No knock warrants are illegal here.
The district attorney in lauderdale county told waay 31's breken terry - it's rare that officers in the shoals will even try to search a home at night.
I am just outside of district attorney chris connolly's office.
He told me there is one exception to the no knock rule.
It's if someone in a home is in extreme danger such as a hostage situation.
Connolly- you have to have a particularized finding that it's dangerous to knock and announce because the flip side of that is to not knock and announce then they think they are getting broken into and shooting at a law enforcement officer.
In the case of breonna taylor- police in louisville originally received a no knock warrant.
But that changed and officers say they did knock and announce themselves.
Most people who heard everything unfold in march disagree.
District attorney chris connolly said that's why body cameras are so important.
Connolly- it happens here where our police officers say we knocked and announced and the person in the house says they didn't knock and announce.
That's why we like body cameras.
Connolly said here in alabama and in lauderdale county police only do search warrants during the daytime.
Unless it's an absolute emergency.
Connolly- there has to be a special circumstance the judge has to approve a nighttime search warrant.
Me: what could those special circumstances be?
Connolly- a child.
Some grave emergency that a child is missing and we think they are in the house and those kinds of things that are just on fire emergencies.
Connolly said most of the search warrants they go on are drug related.
Law enforcement officers i've spoken with told me kids factor into this too.
Officers want to do search warrants while children are away from a home like at school.
Live in flo bt