So-called “no-knock” warrants need to end. And the shooting of Amir Locke in Minneapolis yesterday is only the latest example of why. When police burst unannounced into a home, they can’t know for sure who or what they will encounter, and their actions could end in tragedy — as it did for Locke. The young man was a guest in that home, asleep on the couch, and not the person sought by police; his gun was legal and he had a concealed carry permit. Nevertheless, he was shot dead where he lay by intruders he never even saw.
If mistakes are going to happen — and they will — they should err on the side of the innocent. Better that criminals escape or evidence be lost than innocents be killed — by the very people sworn to protect them.
Furthermore, castle laws give civilians the right to defend their homes by any means. They should not be killed by police for trying to do so.
Among the rationales for no-knock entries is that they protect the police who are making entry. (By not giving occupants a chance to defend themselves?) Isn’t that backward? Shouldn’t the law first protect the innocent from armed strangers who break into their homes?
Nice article
Thank you.
Horrible and outrageous! This should have ended long ago!
I don’t want to minimize what a tough, often dangerous job the police have. But their zealousness should very rarely cost innocent lives. They’ll call off a high-speed pursuit to protect civilians, but then do something like this. It’s no wonder people have become increasingly distrustful of “the law.”
It sure doesn’t help that America’s gun culture promotes the notion that it’s normal to sleep with a loaded gun ready to hand.
No, it doesn’t. And it seems to have turned into an arms race. The more prevalent guns become, the more people (both civilians and police) feel they need one to protect themselves. The escalation has been apparent for a number of years and is, to say the least, alarming. Too often, I think, police resort to guns when lesser measures will suffice. You don’t shoot someone just to keep from getting a bloody nose, or because he’s not following your orders fast enough, or because he’s thirty feet away and possibly holding a knife. And you don’t shoot someone when you’ve broken into their home unannounced and they’re just trying to defend themselves and possibly their family.