Nearly a year after the March 13 killing of Breonna Taylor by Louisville police during the serving of a no-knock warrant, the city of Lexington has not yet banned the search tool.

There is mounting pressure for Kentucky’s second-largest city to move forward on a total ban as the fate of two bills in the state legislature addressing the practice is still in question. Such warrants allow police officers to enter a home without knocking.

Rev. Clark Williams, a member of a group of Black faith leaders who have pushed the city to address police reforms, said the group has met with several Lexington-Fayette Urban County council members and will meet with Mayor Linda Gorton this week to discuss a permanent ban.

Gorton issued a moratorium in June that only allows no-knock warrants in life or death situations. Both Gorton and Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers must sign off on the warrant.

Williams said the current moratorium does not go far enough and is only temporary.”We are focused on a permanent ban on no-knock warrants,” Williams said during a virtual forum Monday about no-knock warrants and police accountability sponsored by Kentuckians for The Commonwealth and Mission Behind Bars and Beyond. In addition, the Black faith leaders want to see stiffer penalties for police officers who do not activate body-worn cameras, more citizens involved in police discipline and other reforms.The group first took its demands to city leaders in June.

It’s been more than eight months, and the group has seen little progress from city leaders, Williams said.

“In the month of March, we are looking to see some movement on some of these issues,” he said.

Gorton supports the current moratorium, which severely restricts the use of no-knock warrants, said a spokeswoman for the city.”In Lexington, no-knock warrants are extremely rare,” said Susan Straub, spokeswoman for the city. “The chief believes this extremely limited use is an option that should continue. The mayor supports the moratorium.”

Although no-knock warrants are rare in Lexington, there have been problems.

In 2015, Lexington had to pay a couple $100,000 after Lexington police busted through their door and put the homeowner in handcuffs. Later, police discovered they had raided the wrong home. That botched raid led to changes in how the department executes no-knock warrants. The Lexington Herald-Leader discovered the settlement through an Open Records Act request.

Lexington city council hasn’t moved on new warrant limits

The Lexington council has discussed no-knock warrants but has not taken any action. A commission on race and justice convened by Gorton this summer recommended banning no-knock warrants as part of its 54 recommendations.

Councilman James Brown, who also participated in the Monday night forum, said the issue is still in a council committee.

“We were looking to the state to see what the state is going to do,” Brown said of the delay in moving a permanent ban forward. Brown added that even if two bills that address no-knock warrants are passed, the city may revisit the issue to discuss local ordinances.The state Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 4 in late February. That bill will curtail the use of no-knock warrants. No-knock warrants could only be served between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. In addition, no-knock warrants could only be served if there was clear and convincing evidence that a violent offender was involved. More steps would be required for officers to obtain a no-knock warrant.

The bill has been sent to the House.

“Breonna’s Law,” House Bill 21, filed by Rep. Attica Scott, D-Louisville, would require officers to give notice before entering and body cameras to be worn during the execution of warrants, and would establish drug and alcohol testing of officers involved in a deadly incident.

Scott said Monday the bill may finally get a hearing on Thursday and Friday. It was only recently assigned to the House Judiciary Committee after public outcry, Scott said. Senate Bill 4, filed by Senate President Robert Stivers, who is white, was quickly passed, but HB 21, filed by Scott, who is Black, languished.

The city of Louisville became the first city in Kentucky to ban no-knock warrants in June after widespread protests prompted by the police-involved deaths of Taylor in Louisville and George Floyd in Minneapolis in May.

Since Taylor’s death, Virginia has also passed legislation banning the practice statewide. Florida and Oregon also have bans in place.