Name: Rand Paul says no-knock warrants 'should be forbidden' in wake of Breonna Taylor shooting
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Rand Paul says no-knock warrants 'should be forbidden' in wake of Breonna Taylor shooting

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Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsLOUISVILLE, Ky. — U.S. Sen. Rand Paul is speaking&nbsp;out about the controversial shooting of former Louisville EMT, who was killed by police during a "no-knock" search warrant that experts have heavily criticized.In an exclusive statement to The Courier&nbsp;Journal, the Republican lawmaker expressed concern about the Louisville Metro Police Department's search of Taylor's apartment on March 13, which has led to a national outcry.Court records show police obtained a no-knock warrant before using a battering ram to enter Taylor's apartment&nbsp;at around 1 a.m. as part of a narcotics investigation.But the warrant shows Taylor was not the main subject of the investigation, and that no narcotics were found in her apartment after she was shot eight times by police."No one should lose their life in pursuit of a crime without a victim, and 'no-knock' warrants should be forbidden," Paul said. "Let’s hope the investigation provides justice."Paul's comments come as local leaders are&nbsp;changing police policies around&nbsp;no-knock warrants in the wake of Taylor's&nbsp;fatal shooting.Mayor Greg Fischer, a Democrat, announced Monday that or a designee before being submitted&nbsp;to a judge. He said doing so will provide another "level of scrutiny."&nbsp;The U.S. Supreme Court has said judges may allow police&nbsp;to search without knocking when they have a reasonable suspicion that under the “particular circumstances” of the case, the targets could destroy evidence.Lawsuit:Also:Legal experts, however, have criticized the vague&nbsp;language in the&nbsp;Taylor warrant given her apartment did not have cameras.“I don’t know how this ever cleared a supervisor’s desk,” Lexington attorney Mark Wohlander, a former FBI agent and federal prosecutor, told The Courier Journal this weekend.Brian Gallini, a law professor at University of Arkansas&nbsp;who has written about the Fourth Amendment, said if a no-knock warrant was appropriate in raiding Taylor's apartment, "then every routine drug transaction would justify grounds for no-knock."Paul, a libertarian-leaning lawmaker,&nbsp;is one of the fiercest defenders&nbsp;of Fourth Amendment rights in Congress. He expressed previous concern that local law enforcement is becoming too militarized."There is a systemic problem with today’s law enforcement," Paul said in a 2014 op-ed for TIME Magazine.The senator was addressing protests and riots in the wake of the Ferguson, Missouri, police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown. At the time Paul said "big government" was&nbsp;at the heart of the problem."Washington has incentivized the militarization of local police precincts by using federal dollars to help municipal governments build what are essentially small armies — where police departments compete to acquire military gear that goes far beyond what most of Americans think of as law enforcement," Paul said in the 2014 editorial.Paul joins&nbsp;elected officials from Kentucky and around the country who've spoken out about Taylor's shooting.U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, a California Democrat, that&nbsp;federal investigators examine&nbsp;the controversial shooting."Her family deserves answers," she said.Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, Rep. John Yarmuth, who represents Louisville in Washington, described Taylor, who was an ER technician,&nbsp;as a "brave and selfless public servant." He said the shooting was another example of a "nation sick and tired of seeing and hearing of black and brown lives being taken so wantonly and so coldly."Reporters Andrew Wolfson and Tessa Duvall contributed to this story.Reach Phillip M. Bailey at pbailey@courier-journal.com or 502-582-4475. Follow him on Twitter at&nbsp;View Comments

Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsLOUISVILLE, Ky. — U.S. Sen. Rand Paul is speaking&nbsp;out about the controversial shooting of former Louisville EMT, who was killed by police during a "no-knock" search warrant that experts have heavily criticized.In an exclusive statement to The Courier&nbsp;Journal, the Republican lawmaker expressed concern about the Louisville Metro Police Department's search of Taylor's apartment on March 13, which has led to a national outcry.Court records show police obtained a no-knock warrant before using a battering ram to enter Taylor's apartment&nbsp;at...

Rand Paul says no-knock warrants 'should be forbidden' in wake of Breonna Taylor shooting

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