
Bill Would Ban No-Knock Warrants Across Illinois
Clip: 4/13/2026 | 11m 42sVideo has Closed Captions
The bill would ban no-knock warrants in all but “exigent circumstances.”
Anjanette Young, a social worker who was handcuffed while naked during a botched 2019 Chicago Police Department raid, has renewed her push for a new state law that would ban officers from serving no-knock warrants or from pointing guns at children during raids.
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Bill Would Ban No-Knock Warrants Across Illinois
Clip: 4/13/2026 | 11m 42sVideo has Closed Captions
Anjanette Young, a social worker who was handcuffed while naked during a botched 2019 Chicago Police Department raid, has renewed her push for a new state law that would ban officers from serving no-knock warrants or from pointing guns at children during raids.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship>> There is a renewed push in Springfield to pass a state law banning no knock warrants in.
Jeannette Young is one of the leading forces behind the bill that is named after her.
It comes 7 years after Chicago police handcuffed young while she stood naked in her home as they executed a search warrant at the wrong address.
This bill would ban no-knock warrants in all except exigent circumstances where the safety of officers or others threatened require officers to provide 30 seconds notice before entering a home ban, pointing firearms at children unless they present a clear and present danger execute warrants between 09:00AM and 07:00PM unless a judge determines otherwise and require medical assistance to be nearby.
When officers are executing a search warrant.
Joining us now, our state Representative Angelica Good Quayle whose district includes West Lawn and clearing on the southwest side and state Representative Kam Buckner whose district includes Bronzeville High Park and the South Loop.
Welcome to you both.
Thank you for joining us.
Representative Buckner, let's start with you, please.
Would you explain for our viewers at home just what a no-knock warrant is.
>> Yes or war is something that is very rarely used by police officers.
It's to use is used was used to enter.
So it's normally when there are indications questions about whether or not there may be drugs in the residence, but there's no Police enter the premises without a once again asking themselves which can cause folks, you know, pretty startled in most cases, but also there are issues where these are not being pursuit on the road on the right homes.
Right?
And so try to do here is find a way to deal with the issue assessment that had happened to her.
And then we've great wealth and around the state.
>> In what kinds of situations are, no knock warrants typically executed.
>> Traditionally, they have been a really, really women of the failed war on drugs when people have cops have some type of until, but there may that may be our colleagues.
promises and what the attempt to do is to get there before the evidence can be lost.
But once again, because this is a relic of a foregone error folks there, you know, just flushing drugs down the toilet is no as big of an issue of used to be especially certain drugs like marijuana, which right now legal in something that we that we regulate are part of members here.
And so we've said is that unless things are extremely violent and aggressive, cops not be taken indoors, in the state Illinois.
>> Representative, good adequate or this bill would prohibit no-knock warrants for cases where the only alleged crime is drug possession.
As we just heard Representative Buckner referring to.
What concerns do you have about that?
>> The way the bill was presented how we had individuals testified.
They were trying to give a distinction between low level and high level crimes.
And for me, it's a crime.
It's a crime.
And they don't know that we necessarily confer say that the because it's a low level is high was defined by the by the presenters that it's a no need for a no-knock warrant.
We don't know what's necessarily inside of a home or in a building.
And so the warrant is executed.
And so for me, the concern was it's very difficult to go ahead in and calculating.
I human reaction.
Human nature in a high level incident like this and it's oh, I don't know that necessarily putting it black and white is the safest for the police officers or for those on the other end as well.
Especially the topic came up about children being inside the premise.
And so I think we need to review a little further just because of some of the things that were set forth the bill.
>> It sounds like representative, like you're saying it's is it to some degree a matter of clarification of the language or would you like to see delineate its very specific alleged crimes or offenses that, you know, might fit under the reasoning for no knock warrant verses.
That might not.
>> I think we need to review everything again.
The presenters talked about low level low level offenses, high level.
They talked if you are experienced police officer like SWAT or the tactical team that you would be more of an aggressor than actually carrying out.
I think that's unfair and unjust that a little discriminatory against law enforcement because they're trained and they have more experience.
And so I think it's really breaking down right?
There are specific hours sent to the bill, too, as well as Warren can be executed.
And so I think we need to go back in again and just have those conversations with those experiencing as well as with Representative Buckner.
Representative Buckner.
>> Do you have any response to some of Representative Goode adequate concerns?
>> There was listen to first of said me, my friend and colleague here, we don't disagree on the need to to have some reforms to think differently.
And I know her background where she's coming from and the space.
Well, as that the that the bill speaks for itself, right, that the language is there no direct testimony or some question.
So about folks who brought their own personal experience to the conversation.
But the bill as Black and white and the truth the matter is, I know that like just want to differentiate between low and high level crimes, but the truth of the personnel matters and the law distinguishes between misdemeanors and felonies, police policy distinguishes when it's going to be okay to do a high-speed chase someone.
That's not what it's OK to put your weapon when it's not.
So the totality of circumstances does matter here.
But what I will remind folks that we have brought together Motley Crue, really, folks who believe in this, right.
We we've got the Illinois Rifle Association, which is not which would call very progressive group.
You know, talking about why this is important, whether support this So I think are ways for us to make this better.
And I'm looking forward to those conversations, Representative Buckner, how?
Because we know that this is, you know, a foot in the city of Chicago as well.
How similar is the state bill to the citywide efforts to reform warrant execution in Chicago?
>> Very similar.
I think we have a little bit.
We have some more more leeway for Constand are exigent circumstances when somebody is a violent.
>> Person accused of a violent crime a threat to safety of themselves or someone else.
Ben, we give them the ability to continue to use these wars.
I'm not sure that those problems City, they are very close.
I think ours has some sort of our rules.
>> Representative grant quite large.
You have concerns about how this bill might affect rural versus urban departments differently.
>> Oh, absolutely.
you know, in in Chicago, we might be able because it's an urban, city.
If someone calls for backup or needs an assistant.
Write this bill also addresses about having and you hear medical staff on site when the warrant executed in the rural areas.
We have to think about Calling for backup are getting a team together means probably borrowing law enforcement from other counties.
And that would include the EMT's as well.
And so I think that's something that very important that we need to look at in to because we can't just assume that there's enough staffing in order to execute a warrant the rural areas.
We need to make sure that we bring those folks into the conversation as well.
>> Another that you mentioned earlier is that this bill would restrict most Warren execution to the hours between 09:00AM and 07:00PM.
What are your concerns about that time frame?
>> Well, it was interesting because one of the prisoners use the example of how the the warrant that was executed for Anjanette Young was signed at 10:00AM and didn't quite understand why it took so long for the morning to be executed.
here.
We're putting specific hours as to when Warren is executed again.
If the tech teams are often that they they're waiting for a judge to sign off on it, they still need to regroup and make sure that they look at the entire area that they're going to go ahead execute the search warrant if their schools in the area.
If there's children involved just families, that's residential high-rise.
And to all those things play a factor.
And so again, I think we we definitely need to come back and talk about those those parameters for law enforcement.
What we don't want is someone to come in execute the warrant.
And then here's a police officer who get shot because we have to be rushed that we have to execute a war between certain hours that that's not that's not acceptable at all.
Representative Buckner.
>> Yeah, I say this no-knock warrants are one of the few policies, intentional policies that intentionally put civilians and police on a collision course by design.
We're worried about his gunshot, which I am.
I think that we have to have a better way to approach this once again that they want is extremely violent because think this a violent situation that they're moving into.
Then there needs to you know, ways to deal with that.
And this bill, give the ability to do that.
But once again, more than 46%, almost half the arts in Chicago do not result the risks.
So nearly half of the time we're sending officers or officers into harm's way and in doing that in the most egregious possible, which is kicking somebodys door about announcing yourself is just not smart policy.
It's not smart for the people who live in homes.
That's not smart for the officers to carry out his duties every single day.
>> Representative Buckner, does legislation does it also called for additional training for officers who are executing these words?
>> It doesn't.
it will also part of is is making sure one if this passes that municipalities and and counties who doing the surveys wars.
How Bility to the Illinois Law Enforcement Standards Board, create whatever the new policy mechanisms are around us and finding a way to make sure their officers are trained on what it is to to executing warrants safely and the way that is adhering to what this loss is, what this bill says.
>> Additionally, when would a judge be able to override the limitations that are that are set by Warren executioner that are set on warrant execution by this bill would do that.
>> But it does.
Is forces a hearing?
First of right, problems with no knock warrant that they They're all about speed and speed is not necessarily mean efficiency or success.
All right.
What this does is it requires a judge to look at the totality of the circumstances to look at the history to look the familiar and the spatial in geographic issues because just like is different.
There's some different doing this places, just the city to make it the same in certain neighborhoods in the city may be harder to execute horses.
that's like.
Some of the worst decision.
Que.
We've got 30 seconds left.
I want to give Representative Goode adequate are the last word.
What would you like to see done here?
>> We're definitely going to have to come back to the table.
I think we really need to examine this.
I want to bring law enforcement from rural areas specifically and with our police officers.
Look, our CPD officers are actually doing training from what I understand this week about no knock warrant.
So I don't know that necessarily legislation is something that needs to be implemented.
I think we're ready discussing and having those conversations.
But I want to make sure all law enforcement from all over the state is included in and and is able really participate in and what's going to happen and what's going to put on black and white.
>> All right.
That's where we're going to have to leave it.
Thanks to both for joining
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