Sheriff’s deputies burst through the front door of a man’s home as he slept. He said they pointed a gun at his head and ransacked his home in search of drugs and cash. The no-knock search warrant they used was threadbare. But that wasn’t the worst of it. The Washington Post’s Jenn Abelson and Nicole Dungca started identifying unusual warrants almost from the moment they began their investigation into no-knock raids. When Jenn looked more closely at documents from a rural county in Mississippi, she got a startling view into how little it took to execute a no-knock warrant in Monroe County.

Sheriff’s deputies burst through the front door of a man’s home as he slept. He said they pointed a gun at his head and ransacked his home in search of drugs and cash. The no-knock search warrant they used was threadbare. But that wasn’t the worst of it. The Washington Post’s Jenn Abelson and Nicole Dungca started identifying unusual warrants almost from the moment they began their investigation into no-knock raids. When Jenn looked more closely at documents from a rural county in Mississippi, she got a startling view into how little it took to execute a no-knock warrant in Monroe County.

Episode 1: "That's what you get"

With a typical search warrant, police are supposed to knock and announce themselves. But with no-knock warrants, police can force their way into people’s homes without warning.

This six-part investigative podcast from The Washington Post sheds light on how easy it is to plan, obtain and execute no-knock warrants — one of the most intrusive and dangerous police tactics. We explore the consequences when these warrants become the rule, rather than the exception.

Hosted by investigative reporters Jenn Abelson and Nicole Dungca, “Broken Doors” is about how no-knock warrants are deployed in the American justice system — and what happens when accountability is flawed at every level.

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With a typical search warrant, police are supposed to knock and announce themselves. But with no-knock warrants, police can force their way into people’s homes without warning. This six-part investigative podcast from The Washington Post sheds light on how easy it is to plan, obtain and execute no-knock warrants — one of the most intrusive and dangerous police tactics. We explore the consequences when these warrants become the rule, rather than the exception. Hosted by investigative reporters Jenn Abelson and Nicole Dungca, “Broken Doors” is about how no-knock warrants are deployed in the American justice system — and what happens when accountability is flawed at every level.

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Episode 1: "That's what you get"

Episode 1: "That's what you get"

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