LOS ANGELES : Powell, Koon Appeal Civil Rights Convictions

Officer Laurence M. Powell and Sgt. Stacey C. Koon have filed their appeals, kicking off the next round in the volatile case and challenging the convictions that could send them to prison for 2 1/2 years each.

Koon filed his notice of appeal late Monday, and Powell’s was filed Tuesday, said William J. Kopeny, one of Powell’s appellate lawyers. Although the officers each had said they would appeal, the brief notices are the first formal step in that process.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, are considering a possible appeal of the sentences imposed on the two defendants, who were convicted on April 17 of violating Rodney G. King’s civil rights. They have a month to file those appeals.