In the wake of Breonna Taylor's killing, a former head of a tactical law enforcement unit has endorsed efforts to end the use of no-knock warrants and has collaborated with a racial justice organization to bring about police reform.

Mark Lomax, the former executive director of the National Tactical Officers Association, released a statement with Campaign Zero, a group affiliated with Black Lives Matter, acknowledging the seriousness and priority of “ending the dangerous practice of no-knock warrants and raids” unless absolutely unavoidable, according to HuffPost. A no-knock warrants was used when Louisville police executed the raid on Taylor's home in March.

“Our law enforcement and government leaders need to engage and step up and fight against discriminatory and unsafe tactics that not only disproportionately put the lives of Black and brown Americans at risk, but also the lives of our police officers,” Lomax said. “The time is now. It is time to adopt meaningful legislation and policies that will work for all of us, our communities, and our police officers.”

According to USA Today, Louisville police were able to get a judge to sign off on the warrant on the basis of Taylor’s previous relationship with a man investigated for selling drugs. Although Taylor had no prior criminal record, her connection to the man was enough for detectives to write in an affidavit that a no-knock warrant was necessary. Police said they believed he was using her to funnel drugs through the apartment.

Following the fatal March raid, no drugs were found in Taylor’s apartment, USA Today reported. In January, a local postal inspector determined that Taylor’s estate hadn’t received any packages of interest or illegal drugs, according to WDRB.com.

Given the public backlash related to Taylor’s case, Lomax called on law enforcement officials to take a serious look at the practices and policies that have caused harm to people and communities of color for generations. He said even though it is an uphill challenge to reform one of the most dehumanizing policing acts, it is one that must be made to honor Taylor’s memory.

Lomax, a retired major with the Pennsylvania State Police, clarified that there are a few exceptions, like situations where lives are at stake. However, the former police official said placing restrictions on no-knock raids would save more lives.

“My son is in law enforcement, and I do not want him to get hurt, shot, killed while serving a warrant when it wasn’t necessary,” he said. “I had friends who were shot doing dope deals, and then years later marijuana was legalized in that state.”

Campaign Zero, which launched it’s #EndAllNoKnocks initiative on Monday, has been endorsed by Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, who said the police raid that resulted in the death of her daughter should have never been permitted. According to the organization’s website, more than 1,000 people are killed by police each year with nearly 60% of these victims not being armed or involved in an act that requires police intervention.

“I’m not the only parent who has lost a child due to these practices of breaking down doors with hopes of scoring drugs and cash,” Palmer said in a statement. “These reform efforts need to continue so that no one else loses a loved one as a result of these dangerous, deadly and unnecessary practices.

As Blavity previously reported, Louisville’s city council unanimously voted in June to pass “Breonna’s Law” to end no-knock warrants in the city. Mayor Greg Fischer wrote on Twitter that he “wholeheartedly” agreed with the council in its determination.

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