ATLANTA, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- To mark the anniversary of a botched drug raid that killed an elderly woman, Atlanta police announced new policies and a procedural overhaul.
At a news conference with Mayor Shirley Franklin by his side, Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington announced changes to prevent a recurrence of the Nov. 21, 2006, shooting of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnson in her home.
Police smashed into her home using flawed information from an informant without warning, and she fired a shot at them and missed. She was shot multiple times, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said.
Among the changes Pennington disclosed were that "no-knock" search warrants must be approved by a major and officers conducting raids will wear special uniforms, not street clothes.
The chief said all 15 officers on the narcotics squad have been replaced, and the number of officers doubled to 30.
Wednesday, lawyers for Johnston's family reportedly were set to file a lawsuit against the chief, the mayor, the city and the police officers involved in the shooting, the newspaper said.
