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The use of a no-knock warrant led to the death of Breonna Taylor last March in Kentucky.
No-knock police warrants—a controversial tactic that resulted in the high-profile killing of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, last March—would be banned in Wisconsin under a bill proposed Monday by Rep. LaKeshia Myers.
“It is most appropriate for us to begin Black History Month 2021 by introducing ‘Breonna’s Law,’” said Myers (D-Milwaukee) in a statement. “Breonna Taylor’s life was taken while she was in the comfort of her own home, through the use of a no-knock warrant. While Taylor was not the subject of the warrant, her life was mercilessly ended through no fault of her own.”
Wisconsin was the first state to legalize no-knock warrants, in 1997, according to Myers’ office.
Democratic lawmakers, Gov. Tony Evers, and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes pushed a no-knock warrant ban in a police-reform package last June following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Republicans, who control the Legislature, did not take any of those bills up.
State Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine), a former police officer, authored counter proposals but left out a ban on no-knock warrants, an issue his chief of staff called an “absolute non-starter.” He reintroduced his package last month, with support from Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee) on all but one proposal.
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