The family of a young child who was disfigured last year during a botched drug raid in Habersham County has welcomed efforts by the Georgia Legislature to restrict so-called “no knock” search warrants.
Two pieces of legislation have been introduced following the severe injuries Bounkham “Baby Bou Bou” Phonesavanh suffered at 19 months of age when a flash-bang stun grenade landed in his playpen during the May 28 raid. The explosion dislodged the child’s nose and damaged his mouth and chest.
“They are very optimistic and hopeful,” said Mawuli Davis, the family’s attorney. “A real conversation changing and transforming how no-knock warrants are executed is for them a breath of fresh air.”
Davis’ comments came after state Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, filed Senate Bill 45 to mandate that law enforcement officers show probable cause that an “act of knocking and announcing would likely pose a significant and imminent danger to human life or imminent danger of evidence being destroyed.”
A separate piece of legislation sponsored by state Rep. Kevin Tanner, R-Dawsonville, would, in most cases, bar the use of no-knock warrants between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. House Bill 56 would also require law enforcement agencies to develop written policies and training for the use of the warrants and require a supervising officer be present when a warrant is executed.
No-knock warrants have sparked other controversies, including one that followed the 2006 killing of 92-year-old Atlanta resident Kathryn Johnston after officers stormed her home with such a warrant.
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