Birmingham Police Revise Policies To Disallow No-Knock Warrants
Birmingham police will no longer use no-knock warrants such as the one that led to the death of Breonna Taylor in Louisville last year.
Mayor Randall L. Woodfin, Police Chief Patrick Smith and Thomas Beavers, senior pastor of The Star Church, announced that and several other revisions to police policies and procedures during an event Tuesday. The revisions are part of an ongoing review of police procedures begun because of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Changes to the BPD’s search warrant application and service policy include language stating that the department does not authorize no-knock search warrants, according to a statement released by Woodfin’s office. With a no-knock warrant, police may enter a home or other location without announcing themselves first.
The changes were designed to centralize search warrants and to create a process to ensure those who secure the warrant provide the information needed by those who serve the warrant, according to the statement. The new policy also requires a risk assessment before a warrant can be served. It disallows devices such as “flash bangs” unless the risk assessment specifies their use or extreme circumstances call for their use. And it calls for a debriefing report from personnel involved within 48 hours of a warrant being served.
“This new process protects citizens, and it protects police,” Woodfin said in the statement.
“This has been an ongoing evolution of updating policy and procedure,” said Chief Smith. “We are going to work to reevaluate all of our policy to make sure we are implementing best practices in law enforcement while keeping the community safe and our officers safe.”
Beavers, who is part of a group of faith leaders who have met regularly with Smith about policing policies, praised the announcement.
“I have had the opportunity with various churches from throughout Birmingham to have a series of meetings with the police chief over the last six or seven months concerning police reform,” Beavers said. “We understand the power and historical capital we have in Birmingham in order to bring change especially in police reform.”
RFK says most vaccine advisers have conflicts of interest. A report shows they don’t
The Health Secretary's assertion inaccurately characterizes the 2009 government report he cites, according to an NPR review and interviews with former committee members.
The government already knows a lot about you. DOGE is trying to access all of it
Agencies from Social Security to the IRS store sensitive data on millions of Americans. Here's what the government knows about us – and what's at risk as DOGE seeks access to the data.
Paid parental leave likely coming for state employees in Alabama and Mississippi
Both states are part of just a dozen that do not offer the benefit. Proponents across the political aisle are likely to change that.
How reliable is the government’s economic data? Under Trump, there are real concerns
The disbanding of committees that consulted on government data — and comments from a senior official about changing how GDP is calculated — are raising alarm about the reliability of government data.
Former Navy SEALs say they’re making marine conservation cool
A group called Force Blue, which does conservation work across the country, is providing what they call "mission therapy" to veterans who miss the camaraderie and the sense of purpose of service.
Drought-stricken Algeria plans to import 1 million sheep ahead of Islam’s Eid Al-Adha
North Africa is enduring its seventh consecutive year of extreme heat and below-average rainfall. The drought has shrunk harvests and driven up the price of animal feed needed to raise livestock.