Judge Temporarily Blocks Seattle's Ban On Crowd Control Weapons
SEATTLE, WA — The federal judge overseeing Seattle's police oversight agreement granted a temporary restraining order late Friday, postponing the enactment of the City Council's ban on most crowd control weapons.
The new ordinance was unanimously approved by councilmembers in late June and was set to take effect early Sunday morning.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Police Chief Carmen Best mounted a previous legal challenge earlier in the week, which was unsuccessful. On Thursday, Best sent a letter to the City Council, reiterating concerns that the new ordinance would curb the police department's ability to manage demonstrations.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a challenge Friday, arguing the council's ordinance conflicted with the consent decree, the city's federal oversight agreement in place since 2012.
In a late-night hearing conducted over Zoom Friday evening, Judge James Robart said his order would be "very temporary," pending feedback from Seattle's three police accountability branches.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/judge-temporarily-blocks-seattle-s-ban-on-crowd-control-weapons/ar-BB17a9pd?ocid=hplocalnews
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