Seattle officers appeal dismissal of use-of-force restrictions lawsuit

Aljazeera

Dozens of Seattle police officers have appealed the dismissal of a federal lawsuit in which they had tried to throw out new rules restricting use of force on the grounds that it endangered both them and the public.

At the center of the court tussle are reforms enacted in Jan. 2014 as a result of a federal investigation into "excessive" use of force practices at the Seattle Police Department (SPD).

The new policy required officers to think about ways they could de-escalate confrontations before moving contemplating more forceful means. Officers argued that the new rules endangered them in fast-moving and potentially dangerous scenarios.

Last month, U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman ruled that it was reasonable to impose such use of force policies, and threw out the lawsuit. But on Friday the plaintiffs filed an appeal to that decision, according to court documents.