Police union lawyer: Wasn’t improper to get Fayette Republicans to spurn no-knock ban

The lawyer for the Lexington police union says it was not a conflict of interest or inappropriate for him to ask the Fayette County Republican Party to vote on a resolution opposing a local ban on no-knock warrants.

On Monday, the Fayette County Republican Party passed a resolution supporting the stance of the Fraternal Order of Police Bluegrass Lodge 4, which has opposed the ban on no-knock warrants. The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council will take its final vote on Thursday night.

“First, there is no conflict of interest; my legal contract is with the FOP, not the council or the city,” said Scott Crosbie, who took the resolution to the GOP executive committee on Monday. “The FOP, the Fayette County Republican Party’s interests are aligned ... Every citizen has a First Amendment Right to express their opinion.”

Crosbie also is negotiating the current FOP contract for officers and sergeants with city officials. Negotiations are ongoing.

Barry Saturday, a Fayette Republican Party executive committee member, said he was one of the Republicans who was uncomfortable passing the resolution. Attempts to set it aside or delay a vote to give members more time to read the resolution were swiftly put down, he said.

“I don’t remember hearing the option of voting ‘nay,’’ Saturday said.

Saturday said he’s not opposed to the local party weighing in on local matters. Lexington’s local elections are nonpartisan.

Not everyone in the Kentucky Republican Party opposes a ban on no-knock warrants, he said. For example, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul has sponsored legislation to ban no-knock warrants on the federal level.

“There is some division within the party on this issue, even from Kentucky’s junior senator,” Saturday said. “I don’t feel like it is improper for the party to weigh in on something affecting the city; any political party can do that. It was the matter in which it was done and who it was presented by. In my opinion, our party is being used by the FOP to propagate their agenda. I have an issue with that. I think a more fulsome discussion would have been merited.”

Fran Anderson, the chairman of the Fayette County Republican Party, said there was plenty of discussion and debate on the resolution during Monday’s meeting.

“Mr. Saturday’s statements unfortunately misrepresent the RPFC’s consideration of the resolution opposing no-knock warrants,” Anderson said. “Committee members were given the opportunity to hear perspectives from law enforcement officers, criminal defense attorneys, and other members with differing viewpoints.”

“Debate lasted over an hour,” Anderson said. “Multiple amendments to the original motion were approved.”

The FOP and police have increased pressure on the Lexington council to oppose the ban over the past four weeks. After the council voted 9-6 vote to move the issue to the council’s meeting agenda on June 8, the FOP posted Facebook messages blasting the nine council members who voted to move the ban forward and posted photos of individual council members.

Meanwhile, area Black faith leaders and groups associated with the Lexington Police Department Accountability organization have also spoken before the council, held rallies and conducted press conferences urging the council to ban no-knock warrants.

Three council members who voted to approve the ban during a council committee meeting in late May have since switched their votes. Those council members who have switched votes from yes to no are Amanda Bledsoe, Whitney Elliott Baxter and Preston Worley.

The three have said they voted for the ban in committee in order to bring it to the full council for a vote.

It’s not clear how the council will vote on Thursday night.