Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers held a news conference Thursday, July 9th.

Stivers announced a bill is being drafted for the upcoming regular session that would ban the use of no-knock search warrants in Kentucky.

The issue has gained nationwide attention after Breonna Taylor died at the hands of three Louisville police officers. They were executing a no-knock warrant related to a drug investigation.

After talking with members of law enforcement, Stivers says the practice should be banned.

Louisville has already banned the use of the warrants and Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton put a moratorium on them.

However, the bill does allow officers to execute a search warrant during an arrest. It requires police supervisors and a judge to approve the warrant beforehand. It also mandates that a special tactical unit execute the warrant if doing so is likely to cause harm.

Officers who violate the bill’s parameters could lose qualified immunity and even their law enforcement certification.

Stivers says he’s met with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and believes the bill has overwhelming support.

Lawmakers behind this bill say this is only the beginning. They tell us there’s a lot more work to be done than simply banning no-knock warrants.

Lawmakers say other issues to address include officer training, transparent reporting, and de-escalation tactics.