Florida cop who arrested 6-year-old girl for throwing tantrum, suspended
After a 6-year-old child was handcuffed and arrested by a Florida police officer for throwing a tantrum at school, that cop has now been suspended pending a full investigation.
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It all began on Thursday when police were called to Lucious and Emma Nixon Academy elementary school because 6-year-old Kaia Rolle was kicking someone and throwing a tantrum, her grandmother Meralyn Kirkland told reporters.
Reportedly school Resource Officer Dennis Turner took matters into his own hands handcuffing Kaia and removing the child from the school without seeking prior approval, The NY Post reports.
There is a standing departmental policy that requires officers to get approval first before handcuffing children.
“The Orlando Police Department has a policy that addresses the arrest of a minor, and our initial finding shows the policy was not followed,” Police Chief Orlando Rolon told the outlet.
Turner has been suspended and reassigned from the school to the Reserve Officer Program while the investigation is underway.
Kaia was not only handcuffed but she was fingerprinted and charged with battery.
“No six-year-old child should be able to tell somebody that they had handcuffs on them and they were riding in the back of a police car and taken to a juvenile center to be fingerprinted, mug shot,” Kirkland said.
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“As a grandparent of three children less than 11 years old, this is very concerning to me,” Rolon added.
