If an officer knocks and announces his presence at a house, or seeks consent to enter, does the homeowner have a right to refuse entry?

Second, even if an officer knocks and announces his or her presence, or seeks consent to enter, a homeowner may reasonably still wish that the officer not enter, especially in circumstances like this, where the officer has a weapon drawn and is on alert. The reason why is obvious. An innocent homeowner reasonably may believe that allowing an agitated officer to enter the residence will substantially increase the risk that a person, pet, or property inside might be harmed. Police officers rightly remind the public that they are required to make split-second decisions in very difficult situations. See Tennessee v. Garner , 471 U.S. 1, 19, 105 S.Ct. 1694, 85 L.Ed.2d 1 (1985). These split-second decisions cannot in every case be made reliably so as to avoid harm to innocents. But these imperfect life-or-death decisions demonstrate that entry by an officer, on alert, with weapon drawn, can foreseeably result in shooting injuries where the officer mistakes an innocent implement for a weapon. Entry poses a foreseeable and severe risk only partly mitigated by knocking and announcing. Under circumstances like those presented here, the safe course for the public and the one prescribed by the Fourth Amendment, is for officers to remain outside, unless or until they have a warrant or consent or exigent circumstances arise.