Wauwatosa debates no-knock warrants ban

Wauwatosa leaders are discussing a possible ban on no-knock warrants, but the city's interim police chief says a ban could cause logistical issues. 

The Equity and Inclusion Commission passed a resolution recommending a ban on no-knock warrants in June 2020, but over the last year, the proposal never made its way to a Common Council agenda until now. A no-knock ban is listed on the Government Affairs Committee's agenda for Tuesday, June 8. 

It's a discussion some say is long overdue. 

2020 saw a number of protests in Wauwatosa, with demonstrators calling for changes within the police department, including a ban on no-knock warrants, when a police officer can enter a home without first announcing they are there. The call for no-knock bans has spread across the country after the death of Breonna Taylor.

"In order for Wauwatosa to be a model suburb, we have to have 21st-century policing laws that reflect, truly, community policing," said Sean Lowe, chair of the Equity and Inclusion Commission.

Lowe is preparing to make his pitch for a no-knock ban in front of Common Council members; the upcoming discussion brought up during the commission's meeting last week.

Interim Police Chief Luke Vetter said a local ban may cause logistical problems as officers often cross local borders.

"Jurisdiction by jurisdiction, I think, can be very problematic, and I think a lot of what the staff is trying to get it at here is looking for consistency as opposed to piecemeal," said Vetter.

The city's assistant attorney said a ban would only apply to Wauwatosa officers and would not prevent other agencies from serving a no-knock warrant within city limits. Interim Chief Vetter also provided data showing how rare a no-knock warrant is in the city.

"Two of the search warrants in the last five years were within our own city," said Vetter. "Of those two, both of them were knock-and-announce search warrants, knock-and-announce."

Lowe said he appreciates the data but wants to be proactive.

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"Even if Wauwatosa has never had a negative incident with a no-knock warrant, again, this is preventing that from ever happening in our city," said Lowe. 

At the state level, the bipartisan Racial Disparities Task Force proposed a bill that would create an annual report of the use of no-knock warrants but did not propose a ban. At the national level, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act would restrict the use of no-knock warrants but has yet to be put for a vote in the Senate.