Cops Can Kick in Doors Unannounced Legally
by Charles Coughlin
I bet you thought police had to announce themselves before they broke down your front door. Well, you’re wrong. The Supreme Court just ruled that police can break down doors without even giving a home owner a chance to answer. Naturally, conservatives are claiming that this will only be used against illegal drug labs and terrorists, but I’m not so sure. How long will it be before some completely innocent political dissident finds his door smashed down in a blatant effort to chill free speech?
A recent news article reports “The Supreme Court made it easier Thursday for police to barge into homes and seize evidence without knocking or waiting, a sign of the court’s new conservatism with Samuel Alito on board. The court, on a 5-4 vote, said judges cannot throw out evidence collected by police who have search warrants but do not properly announce their arrival. It was a significant rollback of earlier rulings protective of homeowners… Dissenting justices predicted that police will now feel free to ignore previous court rulings requiring officers with search warrants to knock and announce themselves to avoid running afoul of the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment ban on unreasonable searches.” (more…)