HOUSTON — Houston voters approved a charter amendment prohibiting police officers from requesting or executing no-knock search warrants, while also making low-level marijuana possession the department’s lowest enforcement priority.
Proposition A, also known as the Houston Freedom Act, passed in unofficial returns Nov. 3, Click2Houston reported.
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The amendment prohibits Houston officers from requesting, executing or participating in search warrants that do not require them to knock, announce their presence and wait at least 15 seconds before entering, according to Click2Houston.
The vote follows years of scrutiny over the department’s use of no-knock warrants after the deadly 2019 Harding Street raid. Officers executed a warrant based on fabricated evidence, triggering a shootout that killed homeowners Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas and wounded several officers, the Houston Chronicle reported.
The raid led to criminal proceedings, including a murder conviction for one officer and a guilty plea from another for falsifying a police report, according to the Chronicle.
After the raid, HPD required the police chief to personally approve each no-knock warrant. City records reviewed by the Chronicle showed none had been approved under that policy as of August.
The charter amendment also directs HPD to make Class A and Class B misdemeanor marijuana possession its lowest law enforcement priority and establishes related reporting requirements. It does not legalize marijuana or prevent officers from enforcing state possession laws, Click2Houston reported.
Mayor John Whitmire has said the marijuana provision would have little effect on existing operations.
“Personal use of marijuana is not a priority of HPD,” Whitmire said in September.
Supporters said the measure would allow officers to focus on more serious crimes and reduce risks associated with no-knock raids. Opponents raised concerns about operational restrictions and potential conflicts with state law, Click2Houston reported.
Both provisions appeared together on the ballot, requiring voters to accept or reject them as a package. Questions about implementation and how the amendment interacts with state law remain.
Should decisions about no-knock warrants rest with voters, lawmakers or law enforcement leaders?
