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Mich. Supreme Court lays out new guidelines for police “knock and talk”

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The Michigan Supreme Court has put new limits on the so-called “knock and talk.”

Police officers suspected a house had marijuana butter inside. Around 4 a.m., they knocked until someone inside came to the door. The officers talked to a resident and eventually got permission to search the house.

The Supreme Court said this wasn’t OK.

Mark Reene is the president of the Prosecuting Attorney’s Association of Michigan. He says for law enforcement, this is just a matter of looking for new best practices.

“And that’s what we’re continually looking at and looking at ways of accomplishing objectives in the best manner possible,” he said. “And I think law enforcement uniformly has that thought process.”

The Court said police can approach a house and knock during the same time it would be acceptable for the general public.

Before becoming the newest Capitol reporter for the Michigan Public Radio Network, Cheyna Roth was an attorney. She spent her days fighting it out in court as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Ionia County. Eventually, Cheyna took her investigative and interview skills and moved on to journalism. She got her masters at Michigan State University and was a documentary filmmaker, podcaster, and freelance writer before finding her home with NPR. Very soon after joining MPRN, Cheyna started covering the 2016 presidential election, chasing after Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and all their surrogates as they duked it out for Michigan. Cheyna also focuses on the Legislature and criminal justice issues for MPRN. Cheyna is obsessively curious, a passionate storyteller, and an occasional backpacker. Follow her on Twitter at @Cheyna_R