HB492 limits the issuance of ‘no-knock’ arrest and search warrants to only situations in which it is “necessary to avoid the risk of death or serious bodily injury to peace officers and others.” It also requires their approval at the highest level of a law enforcement agency and the authorization of a district court or statutory county court judge.
The House passed HB492 on May 6, 2021, by a vote of 143 to 1. We have assigned pluses to the yeas because ‘no-knock’ warrants undermine the rights of Americans protected specifically by the 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. ‘No-knock’ warrants, by definition, violate the basic principle that law enforcement should not forcibly enter a premises without first providing notice of their authority and purpose of executing a warrant.