INDIANAPOLIS, May 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — In a forceful defense of law enforcement officers nationwide, coinciding with Police Week, the National Police Association (NPA), in association with the Police Officers’ Defense Coalition (PODC), filed a pivotal amicus curiae brief urging the Supreme Court to uphold qualified immunity in the critical case of Kyle Smith, et al. v. Rochelle Scott, et al. At stake is nothing less than the very ability of America’s police officers to maintain order and safety in a disorderly and dangerous society.
“This tragic case,” declares the NPA in its brief, “threatens to make bad law,” warning that judicial overreach from the Ninth Circuit Court imperils essential and lawful policing tactics, specifically the restrained and necessary use of bodyweight compression during arrests involving violent or mentally unstable individuals.
The brief meticulously dismantles misguided claims that such police tactics inherently constitute “deadly force,” showcasing extensive scientific research demonstrating that controlled bodyweight compression poses minimal risk when properly administered. In this critical incident involving a mentally distressed individual, Mr. Roy Anthony Scott, the officers acted swiftly and responsibly, employing minimal and non-lethal force to protect the community and Mr. Scott himself, whose tragic death was medically attributed primarily to “methamphetamine intoxication,” not police restraint.
“The notion that police officers facing unpredictable and perilous encounters with mentally disturbed individuals can accomplish their mission without decisive, controlled physical intervention is both dangerous and naïve,” stated James L. Buchal, counsel for the NPA. “Police must be allowed to act with the necessary force to safeguard lives, including their own.”
The filing argues compellingly that characterizing standard restraint techniques as “deadly force” solely due to rare and tragic outcomes undermines objective policing standards and places officers unjustly at risk of civil and criminal liabilities. Such legal interpretations embolden disorder and hamstring the essential functions of public safety and community protection.
“At a time when crime is rampant, communities demand safe streets, and law enforcement is already stretched thin, stripping officers of necessary and established policing tools by judicial fiat is reckless,” Buchal emphasized. “A failure to overturn the Ninth Circuit’s decision in this case may irreparably damage the operational capabilities and morale of our nation’s police officers.”
The NPA’s amicus brief calls upon the Supreme Court to affirm qualified immunity protections for police officers acting reasonably and responsibly under difficult and volatile conditions.
“The Nation’s peace officers need clarity and confidence in their lawful authority to protect the innocent,” concludes the NPA. “We trust the Supreme Court to correct the Ninth Circuit’s dangerous error and affirm the essential tools our officers rely upon daily to keep America safe.”
The National Police Association and the Police Officers’ Defense Coalition are represented by James L. Buchal, of Murphy & Buchal LLP, in Portland, OR. The full brief is available on the Supreme Court docket under case number 24-1099 and can be read here.
About the National Police Association: The National Police Association (NPA) is a nonprofit organization supporting law enforcement through advocacy, education, and law. For more information, visit NationalPolice.org.
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SOURCE National Police Association
