RICHMOND, Va. (NewsNation Now) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday signed into law a bill banning police officers from executing so-called “no-knock” warrants.
Northam signed Virginia’s version of “Breonna’s Law,” named after Breonna Taylor, in a ceremony alongside her family’s attorney, Ben Crump. Delegate Lashrecse Aird and Sen. Mamie Locke, who sponsored the legislation, were also in attendance.
The signing ceremony was livestreamed Monday via Facebook.
Virginia’s House and Senate voted to approve “Breonna’s Law” back in October.
The bill says officers must be identifiable when executing a search warrant, NewsNation affiliate WRIC reported. They also must “verbally” make their presence known. After entering the place to be searched, officers must read the warrant and leave a copy.
The bill also says that search warrants that fall under the law should only be executed in the daytime, unless a judge says otherwise.
After Taylor was shot and killed by police in her apartment in Louisville, Kentucky, in March, cities and states across the U.S. have pushed forward police reform, many of which has targeted “no-knock” warrants.
Minneapolis recently changed a policy around how officers should carry out “no-knock” warrants, requiring police to announce their presence as they enter premises. It came six months after the death of George Floyd. Floyd, a Black man, was killed after a Minneapolis officer pressed his knee against his neck for several minutes.
Massachusetts lawmakers this month voted to approve a bill that they say would increase police accountability, which includes limits on “no-knock” warrants.
The Associated Press and NewsNation affiliate WRIC contributed to this report.