Recently this type of search warrant gained notoriety due to the death at the hands of police of Breonna Taylor, who was apparently unarmed and shot by police when they entered her residence.
These warrants have been under sharp criticism for years due to the difficult situation into which both police and citizens are placed. Police enter into a volatile situation potentially confronting suspects who are highly dangerous, so police are armed and ready to shoot to kill. Citizens in their own homes are invaded by police without the opportunity to have any warning or knowledge of who has entered their home. It is essentially a lawful home invasion.
These no knock warrants are highly dangerous to police. From a workers' compensation standpoint, it can be lethal to police as records show 8 police officers were killed in executing no knock warrants from 2010-2016. Such a death would be considered in the course and scope of employment, entitling the decedent's beneficiaries to workers' compensation death benefits in Texas.
First responders can also file for mental trauma claims from witnessing the death of a suspect or co-worker, or even the threatened death, during the course of such a raid.
It is also highly dangerous to citizens and much reform is currently under discussion.
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