memory of my husband Ray Smith & me being awakened at about 2 AM by a loud pounding & shouting at the front door. my husband called local police & was told "those are the police"--one of the shocks of our lives.
believe me, you do not engage with loud-shouting uniformed men at your front door. you do not open the door a crack & ask defiantly, "Do you have a warrant?" you are in a state of shock exacerbated by their loud belligerent shouting.
if you are an average citizen you probably just open the door--hoping for the best...
Hopewell township police claimed to be looking for teenaged boys who'd been knocking over mailboxes in the neighborhood. we had no teenaged boy, they had no warrant that I can recall, the incident left a permanent impression on me of an absolute distrust of police officers or, indeed, anyone armed & belligerent.
is this a joke? why do you think so many people wind up dead at the hands of "cops at the door without a warrant"?
they do not need a warrant if they have "probable cause" to suspect that a crime is being committed on the premises; in fact, they can break down the door.
& whatever they say, you had better obey or they can shoot with the excuse that they "feared for their lives" or you "lunged at their gun."
& whatever the legal consequences, if your family sues & wins an enormous lawsuit because you were killed, it isn't the police officers who pay but, surprise, you yourself along with other taxpayers. police have all but 100% immunity in the US & taxpayers bail them out every time.