The day before police officers barged into Breonna Taylor’s house in Louisville, Kentucky and shot her, a detective persuaded a judge to give him a no-knock warrant.
Detective Joshua Jaynes claimed Ms. Taylor’s former boyfriend had been using her address to stash money and drugs in an affidavit presented to judge Mary Shaw. Mr. Jaynes further proved this claim by stating a postal inspector had confirmed the shipments.
Two years after the raid, federal prosecutors said Mr. Jaynes had lied in his statement. It was not clear that Ms. Taylor’s former boyfriend was retrieving packages from her house, and Mr. Jaynes had never confirmed with a postal inspector in the first place.
In response, Mr. Jaynes admitted he never personally verified information on the packages with a postal inspector, but a sergeant who knew about the packages told him. This led Mr. Jaynes to believe it was enough evidence to back up his legal statement.
However, Prosecutors charged this claim to be false. They said the sergeant who spoke to detective Jaynes told him twice he did not know anything about the packages being sent to Ms. Taylor’s house for her former boyfriend.
The fallacies of Mr. Jaynes’ affidavit became the attention of the Justice system. They highlighted problems can occur when search warrants are authorized by judges since police officers can exaggerate and concoct lies.
“It happens far more often than people think,” said Joseph C. Patituce, a defense lawyer and former prosecutor in Ohio. “We are talking about a document that allows police to come into the homes of people, oftentimes minorities, at all times of night and day.”
Judges often have to rely on the sole narrative of the officers applying for the warrant, because opposing witnesses or other people speaking in the courtroom are not needed. This means officers could carry out potentially dangerous searches before their affidavits are even challenged.
It is terrifying to realize the power police officers have. An unlawful or racist police officer could easily obtain a search warrant to a black woman’s house with partial truths and a mouthful of lies.
“It’s tragic when you see police falsify information to obtain a search warrant, and it is also dumb,” Mr. Davis, the former Boston police commissioner, said in an interview with the New York Times. “Every one of those search warrants can turn into a disaster.”
Sources:
Search warrants are back under spotlight after federal indictments in Breonna Taylor case (wlky.com)
Breonna Taylor Raid Puts Focus on Officers Who Lie for Search Warrants – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Detective Joshua Jaynes claimed Ms. Taylor’s former boyfriend had been using her address to stash money and drugs in an affidavit presented to judge Mary Shaw. Mr. Jaynes further proved this claim by stating a postal inspector had confirmed the shipments.
Two years after the raid, federal prosecutors said Mr. Jaynes had lied in his statement. It was not clear that Ms. Taylor’s former boyfriend was retrieving packages from her house, and Mr. Jaynes had never confirmed with a postal inspector in the first place.
In response, Mr. Jaynes admitted he never personally verified information on the packages with a postal inspector, but a sergeant who knew about the packages told him. This led Mr. Jaynes to believe it was enough evidence to back up his legal statement.
However, Prosecutors charged this claim to be false. They said the sergeant who spoke to detective Jaynes told him twice he did not know anything about the packages being sent to Ms. Taylor’s house for her former boyfriend.
The fallacies of Mr. Jaynes’ affidavit became the attention of the Justice system. They highlighted problems can occur when search warrants are authorized by judges since police officers can exaggerate and concoct lies.
“It happens far more often than people think,” said Joseph C. Patituce, a defense lawyer and former prosecutor in Ohio. “We are talking about a document that allows police to come into the homes of people, oftentimes minorities, at all times of night and day.”
Judges often have to rely on the sole narrative of the officers applying for the warrant, because opposing witnesses or other people speaking in the courtroom are not needed. This means officers could carry out potentially dangerous searches before their affidavits are even challenged.
It is terrifying to realize the power police officers have. An unlawful or racist police officer could easily obtain a search warrant to a black woman’s house with partial truths and a mouthful of lies.
“It’s tragic when you see police falsify information to obtain a search warrant, and it is also dumb,” Mr. Davis, the former Boston police commissioner, said in an interview with the New York Times. “Every one of those search warrants can turn into a disaster.”
Sources:
Search warrants are back under spotlight after federal indictments in Breonna Taylor case (wlky.com)
Breonna Taylor Raid Puts Focus on Officers Who Lie for Search Warrants – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
