Politics of Policing

I. INTRODUCTION

On November 21, 2006, after obtaining a "no knock" search warrant based on false information, several Atlanta police officers stormed into the home of ninety-two-year-old Kathryn Johnston. Ms. Johnston, who lived alone and feared a home invasion, always locked her door and kept a gun for protection. When the officers burst unannounced into the home, Ms. Johnston fired a single shot but struck no one. Officers at the scene, however, returned fire, striking Ms. Johnston multiple times and fatally wounding her. When a search of the home revealed no drugs, rather than leaving the scene, one of the officers planted in the basement three bags of marijuana seized in an unrelated case. The officer then filed a false incident report stating that someone had purchased drugs at Ms. Johnston's home earlier in the day. To conceal their crimes, the officers suggested to Atlanta homicide investigators that Ms. Johnston's shooting death was justifiable. Fortunately, in later