BCA releases 2023 no-knock search warrant report

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) released the latest no-knock search warrant report on Monday showing the data for 2023.

The report, required by law, is compiled by local law enforcement data that is reported to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS).

In 2023, 89 total no-knock search warrants were requested, down almost 100 warrants from 2022, when 185 were requested.

Of those 89 requested no-knock search warrants, all but five were issued, similar to 2022 when 179 of the 185 requested warrants were issued.

Just because a no-knock search warrant was requested and issued doesn’t mean it is always utilized. In 2023, 71 of the 85 issued search warrants were executed, and evidence was found in all but two of those places searched. In comparison, in 2022, evidence authorities were looking for was found in 148 of 158 executed warrants.

The statute requiring the reporting of search warrant data to the BCA went into effect in Sept. 1, 2021. Law enforcement agencies are required to report no-knock warrant data to the BCA within three months of a warrant application.