City seeks to overturn judge's order limiting LAPD use of crowd control weapons

"The city of Los Angeles said it would appeal a recent court order that prevents LAPD officers from targeting members of the press with crowd control weapons. The notice of appeal filed Tuesday comes less than a month after U.S. District Judge Hernán D. Vera barred the LAPD from using so-called less lethal munitions against journalists and nonviolent protesters. Los Angeles police faced multiple allegations of excessive force during protests earlier this year against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown."

"Lawyers for the city of Los Angeles and the Department of Homeland Security previously argued that the judge's ban was impractical and overly broad. Although police can still use less-lethal weapons to contain unruly demonstrators, the city claimed the rules put officers at risk of hesitating in chaotic situations. It isn't always possible for police to immediately recognize journalists, the city and federal agency argued in court filings."

"Lawyers for journalists involved in the litigation countered that the incidents that led to the injunction were uncalled for. "Those aren't mistakes; those are deliberate," said Carol Sobel, a longtime civil rights attorney who is part of the plaintiffs' legal team. "What they're saying to the court is, 'We need to be able to violate the law and shoot these people indiscriminately or else it's gonna be a melee.'""

Los Angeles filed a notice of appeal challenging a federal injunction that prevents LAPD officers from using so-called less-lethal munitions against journalists and nonviolent protesters. U.S. District Judge Hernán D. Vera issued the injunction after multiple allegations of excessive force during protests over the Trump administration's immigration policies. The case will proceed to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, with a hearing tentatively set for mid-November. City and Department of Homeland Security lawyers contend the restrictions are impractical and overly broad, risking officer hesitation and misidentification of journalists. Plaintiffs' counsel maintain that officers' actions were deliberate and unjustified.

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