Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ban No-Knock Warrants Initiative (May 2021)
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ban No-Knock Warrants Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date May 18, 2021 | |
| Topic Local law enforcement | |
Status Approved | |
| Type Initiative | Origin Citizens |
The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ban No-Knock Warrants Initiative was on the ballot as an initiative in Pittsburgh on May 18, 2021. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported amending the Pittsburgh home rule charter to add Article 10: Powers of the Pittsburgh Police, including Section 1001 barring employees of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police from executing warrants without knocking or announcing themselves. |
A "no" vote opposed amending the Pittsburgh home rule charter to add Article 10: Powers of the Pittsburgh Police, thus maintaining the existing charter. |
This measure was one of two initiated measures on ballot in Allegheny County. The other measure was to ban solitary confinement.
Overview
The ballot initiative required police to knock on a door, announce their presence, and wait at least 15 seconds before entering a residence to execute a warrant. The ballot initiative also required police who are executing a warrant at a residence to wear and use a body camera and dress in uniform or wear clothing that identifies the officer as law enforcement.[1]
Election results
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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ban No-Knock Warrants Initiative (May 2021) |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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50,132 | 81.16% | ||
| No | 11,640 | 18.84% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for this measure was as follows:
| “ | Shall the Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter be amended and supplemented by adding a new Article 10: Powers of the Pittsburgh Police, containing Section 1001, which shall bar employees of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police from executing warrants at any residence without knocking and announcing themselves? | ” |
Full Text
The full text of this measure is available here.
Support
The Alliance for Police Accountability led the campaign in support of this measure, they are also supporting a Prohibit Solitary Confinement initiative.[2]
Supporters
Political Parties
- Green Party of Allegheny County[3]
Organizations
Arguments
The following arguments were posted on the Alliance for Police Accountability's website:[4]
| “ |
This May, the voters of Pittsburgh have the power to ban the use of “no-knock” raids by police. These raids became infamous this past march, when Louisville police executed a no-knock warrant at the home of emergency room technician Breonna Taylor, opened fire when her boyfriend shot at these (announced) intruders, hitting her with eight bullets and killing her. Pittsburgh, too, has suffered. In the past six years, multiple settlements costing hundreds of thousands of dollars have been reached between the city and victims of such police raids. This is unacceptable; while the practice has been supposedly discontinued temporarily, we must prohibit it altogether through an amendment to the city charter.[5] |
” |
Brandi Fisher, Alliance for Police Accountability President, said regarding the Ban No-Knock Warrants Initiative and the Prohibit Solitary Confinement Initiative:[6]
| “ | These two initiatives are critical to the public health and safety of the residents of Allegheny County, the community has the power to make the decisions that impact their lives, and this initiative is one way for that to manifest.[5] | ” |
Opposition
If you know of endorsements or arguments that should be posted here, email editor@ballotpedia.org.
As of April 14, 2021, there is no known organization leading a campaign against the referendum.
The Pittsburgh Police Bureau asserted that the measure was not necessary, as a Bureau spokesperson said:[7]
| “ |
[the Bureau] do not authorize no-knock warrants. The Bureau has always followed the Rules of Criminal Procedure of the PA Consolidated Statutes, which requires police to knock and announce their identity and purpose[5] |
” |
Background
No-knock warrants
No-knock warrants are search warrants that exempt police from knocking and announcing their presence before entering the premises in certain circumstances.[8] No-knock warrants came into widespread use in the 1970's and 1980's in executing raids for illicit drugs.[9]
In 2021, Ballotpedia covered a selection of local police-related measures concerning police oversight, the powers and structure of oversight commissions, police practices, law enforcement department structure and administration, law enforcement budgets, law enforcement training requirements, law enforcement staffing requirements, and body and dashboard camera footage.
| State | Jurisdiction | Title | Election date | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | Albany | Proposal 7 | November 2 | Increases the authority of the Community Police Review Board over investigations and oversight of complains against police |
|
| Texas | Austin | Proposition A | November 2 | Requires a minimum number of police officers and certain police training and sets demographically representative hiring practice guidelines | 
|
| Washington | Bellingham | Initiative 2 | November 2 | Prohibits facial recognition and predictive policing technology |
|
| Colorado | Denver | Referred Question 2G | November 2 | Transfers the power to appoint the Independent Monitor to the Office of the Independent Monitor, which is responsible for disciplinary investigations concerning the Denver police and sheriff’s departments, from the mayor to the Citizen Oversight Board |
|
| Minnesota | Minneapolis | Question 2 | November 2 | Replaces the police department with a department of public safety in the city charter |
|
| Ohio | Cleveland | Issue 24 | November 2 | Changes the oversight structure of the Cleveland Police Department |
|
| Michigan | Detroit | Proposition P | August 3 | Revises the Detroit City Charter, with multiple changes to the Detroit Police Department included |
|
| Texas | Austin | Proposition C | May 1 | Establishes the position of the Director of Police Oversight in the city charter |
|
| Texas | San Antonio | Proposition B | May 1 | Repeals provisions allowing police officers to collectively bargain with the city |
|
| Pennsylvania | Pittsburgh | Ban No-Knock Warrants Initiative | May 18 | Requires police to knock on a door, announce their presence, and wait at least 15 seconds before entering a residence to execute a warrant |
|
| Pennsylvania | Allegheny County | Prohibit Solitary Confinement Initiative | May 18 | Prohibits the solitary confinement of persons held in the Allegheny County Jail |
|
| Illinois | Oak Park | Police Defunding Advisory Question | April 6 | Advises the city to defund the police department |
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In 2020, Ballotpedia identified 20 police-related measures in 10 cities and four counties within seven states that appeared on local ballots. All 20 of the ballot measure were approved.
Path to the ballot
The ballot initiative was placed on the ballot after the Allegheny County legal counsel approved the petition filed on February 16, 2021, by the organization Alliance for Police Accountability who submitted 21,880 signatures.[10][11]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Allegheny County Board of Elections, "Pittsburgh Question," accessed February 16, 2021
- ↑ Alliance for Police Accountability, "Home," accessed 14 April, 2021
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 Alliance for Police Accountability, "Endorsements," accessed April 14, 2021
- ↑ Alliance for Police Accountability, "Pass Breonna's Law," accessed April 14, 2021
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Pennsylvania Capital Star, "Pgh advocates gather 65K signatures for no-knock warrant ban and solitary confinement limit ballot initiatives," accessed April 14, 2021
- ↑ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "City Council introduces ban on ‘no-knock’ warrants; Pittsburgh police say no need," accessed April 14, 2021
- ↑ Cornell Law School: Legal Information Institute, "No-Knock Warrant," accessed April 19, 2021
- ↑ PBS News Hour, "The war on drugs gave rise to ‘no-knock’ warrants. Breonna Taylor’s death could end them," accessed April 19, 2021
- ↑ Facebook, "Alliance for Police Accountability," February 16, 2021
- ↑ Allegheny Elections Board, "April 13, 2021 Meeting," accessed April 14, 2021
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