Mayor Jenny Durkan on Wednesday reversed her position from last month when she and the US Justice Department filed a motion to end the eight-year federal intervention.

They argued police had met obligations under a "consent decree" imposed for excessive use of force, such as killings of young men of colour.

Outrage over Floyd's death, who was pinned by the neck under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, has sparked more than a week of protests and civil strife in major U.S. cities.

The backpedalling in Seattle came after its Office of Police Accountability received a host of complaints against the police response to weekend protests, including pepper spraying a young girl and placing knees on the necks of two people arrested.

"The City knows it still needed to address concerns on discipline and accountability," Durkan, who helped introduce the 2012 consent decree as a US attorney, said in a statement. "We should pause as our community is rightfully calling for more police reforms."

Seattle's decision came as former President Barack Obama urged every American mayor on Wednesday to work with communities to review police use-of-force policies.

Seattle lawyer and community organiser Nikkita Oliver, who ran against Durkan in the 2017 election, characterised the city's decision to continue federal oversight as a longstanding demand from police reform advocates.

States like New Jersey and Colorado have proposed police reforms in response to the Floyd killing, but critics say deeper overhauls like defunding or dismantling of departments are necessary to bring real change.

Australian Associated Press