BOSTON (AP) – Score one for pit bulls.
The state Appeals Court has ruled that police can’t use a general fear of pit bulls to enter a suspect’s home without knocking.
The court says police shouldn’t have been allowed to get a “no-knock” warrant to enter the home of a Springfield man based on their claim that the man’s pit bull might have hurt the officers who conducted the search.
Luis Santiago is charged with drug offenses and receiving stolen property.
Prosecutors appealed a lower court ruling suppressing evidence seized from Santiago’s home based on the improper search warrant. But the Appeals Court upheld the suppression order.
The court says police have to show a particular pit bull is violent, instead of claiming all pit bulls are aggressive.
AP-ES-10-17-07 1308EDT
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