Nine year old girl pepper sprayed while handcuffed

[GeorgeParker]

An excerpt from the New York Times article https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/31/nyregion/rochester-police-pepper-spray-child.html?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20210201&instance_id=26625&nl=the-morning&regi_id=99793380&segment_id=50744&te=1&user_id=1a9b21f9e3b1b759fc5b1f387d82cd47

The police department in Rochester, N.Y., released body-camera footage on Sunday that showed a 9-year-old girl being handcuffed and pepper-sprayed by police officers who had responded to a family disturbance call.

During the incident, which occurred Friday afternoon, officers restrained the girl, pushing her into the snow in order to handcuff her, while she screamed repeatedly for her father, the footage showed.

At one point, an officer said, “You’re acting like a child.” She responded, “I am a child.”

[Yppej]

The parents are probably really struggling with this child that someone felt the need to call the police. This is a good example of a case where a social worker being dispatched could have made a difference long-term in getting needed support for the family.

[GeorgeParker]

The parents are probably really struggling with this child that someone felt the need to call the police. This is a good example of a case where a social worker being dispatched could have made a difference long-term in getting needed support for the family.The bodycam video shows that the first cop on the scene was trying to de-escalate the situation and the mother was making that impossible. Yes, there should have been a social worker or a professional negotiator involved, and the mother and daughter should have been kept as far apart as possible, but that wasn't what happened.

This was one of those situations where tempers flare, things get out of hand, and no one has the right training or enough experience to cool things down quickly enough. It's totally unacceptable when things like this happen, but they happen because the system is broken.

There will be an investigation and no doubt some kind of disciplinary action will be taken, but what's really needed is more/better/different training and standard operating procedures that will make situations like this less likely if that's possible.

[befree]

I just watched the video as well. I wonder about drugs, alcohol, mental illness or all three. I feel sorry for all involved, including the police.

[NewGig]

Me too. The part of that that made me go WTF again was the cop saying, "You're acting like a child." and the girl responding, "I AM a child!" which should have told the cop something was off right then.

[gimmethesimplelife]

I don't have much time these days but I gave engaged in long distance activism against the Rochester, NY police PD who unsurprisingly has a history of unsavory and legally questionable issues. Hoping involved officers are fired and that Rochester gets it's citizen review board up and running STAT. Human life as it stands is unsafe from the Rochester NY PD. Rob

[gimmethesimplelife]

Should have been have engaged in long distance activism above. Rob