Lexington mayor issues moratorium on no-knock warrants
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton issued a moratorium on no-knock warrants on Monday, less than five days after Louisville banned the controversial practice outright.
No-knock warrants allow police officers to enter a home without knocking or ringing a bell. The practice has come under scrutiny after the police-involved killing of Breonna Taylor in Louisville. Officers were serving a no-knock warrant at the time of Taylor’s death.
Gorton said no-knock warrants can now only be used for a life-or-death situation.
Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers has said no-knock warrants, which require a judge’s signature, have not been used in Lexington in the past 12 months. Those warrants must go through several layers of review. Weathers announced in early June no-knock warrants would go through an additional level of review before a warrant went to a judge for sign off.
Gorton said she made the decision to issue the moratorium after consulting Weathers.
The Louisville Metro Council voted unanimously Friday to ban no-knock warrants.
Also on Monday, Gorton announced the appointment of a new committee that will make additional recommendations on how to fix long-standing racial inequalities in health care, education, business and criminal justice.
Roszalyn Akins, an educator and the director of BMW Academy, and Dr. Gerald Smith, a University of Kentucky history professor and pastor of Pilgrim Baptist Church, will co-chair the group.
Akins and Smith will make recommendations for the group’s make up, membership and name.
Gorton said she understands that many are frustrated the city hasn’t moved fast enough to address racial injustices that have led protesters to march on Lexington streets for more than two weeks.
But Gorton said racism is a systematic problem that will take time to address.
“Everyone is impatient for change, including me,” Gorton said. “While I understand change won’t happen overnight, I am determined to make many improvements quickly, and to continue to make immediate changes as opportunities present themselves. We need long-term, systemic change.”
This story was originally published June 15, 2020 at 5:42 PM.
