OGDEN, Utah — Dressed in black and carrying assault rifles, members of a local multi-jurisdiction police unit burst into a dark home in Ogden, Utah, one night in September shouting, "Police! Search warrant!"
A video of the incident made by the Weber-Morgan counties Narcotics Strike Force and the federal Drug Enforcement Agency shows a man suddenly appearing in a hallway holding a shiny object that an officer thought was a sword, but was really a golf club, according to Weber County Attorney Dee Smith.
In the instant he appeared, the video shows, three shots rang out and the man, Todd Blair, 45, fell to the floor, dead.That increase has raised questions about the tactic, including whether the surprise element poses an unnecessary threat to people whose residences are invaded.
Judges can issue no-knock warrants when they believe the element of surprise could help officers avoid danger or keep people from destroying evidence, Kraska says.
Critics say the no-knock tactic gives residents - some innocent - seconds to decide if they face a police raid or a home invasion.
The law holds that police should knock and announce themselves, except in special circumstances and when they have approval from a magistrate, says Miller Shealy, assistant law professor at the Charleston School of Law in South Carolina.
Knock, knock. Pray kind Sir, this is the Police. May we come in?
They don't need a no-knock warrant if changing circumstances give them reason to barge in, he says.
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