Limit Search Warrants

MPD officers have broad discretion to request and execute home search warrants on residents of the District. Too often, the searches result in physical and emotional trauma, property damage,  and lawsuits, and rarely uncover evidence. The D.C. Police Reform Commission expressed significant concerns regarding MPD’s search warrant practices and made recommendations consistent with the bill proposed here. Limiting how, when, where, and why officers may obtain and execute search warrants will protect the District’s Black residents who are almost exclusively the targets of MPD’s dangerous search warrant raids. And providing an avenue to compensate raid victims for property damage and injuries is one step towards ensuring the victims are made whole.

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