Posted on 11/20/2004 7:44:53 AM PST by JesseHousman
Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Rudy Crew asked the police department never again to use a stun gun on an elementary student on school grounds.
Dade Schools Superintendent Rudy Crew asked the county's police chief to instruct his officers not to use stun guns against children in elementary schools ever again, according to a letter released Friday.
The request comes in the wake of an October incident in which a Miami-Dade officer zapped a 6-year-old first-grader who was wielding a piece of glass in an office at Kelsey Pharr Elementary.
''The Pharr student was agitated and injured,'' Crew wrote in his letter to Miami-Dade Police Director Bobby Parker. ``However, police officers have dealt with other children in this condition without resorting to a Taser.''
Crew went on to ask that the department ``refrain from deploying or discharging Tasers against elementary school students in Miami-Dade Public County Schools.
''In addition, I ask that you instruct officers to consider the Taser only as a nonlethal last resort when dealing with students of any age on Miami-Dade County campuses,'' he wrote.
Police spokesman Randy Rossman said he couldn't comment on the letter late Friday because he hadn't seen it.
Earlier in the day, Parker again defended the officer's decision to zap the child as the safest way to get control of him.
''We have a highly agitated 6-year-old who a number of people could not disarm,'' he said at a press conference to release a tape of the 911 call that sent the officers to the school. ``Should they have decided to use their bare hands, the child could have received additional injuries in the struggle or the officers could have been injured.''
When Kelsey Pharr principal Maria Mason called 911 on Oct. 20, she said she needed help for a child whom the adults at the school couldn't approach.
''I have a child that broke a piece of glass, and he's holding it in his hand, threatening,'' Mason told the police dispatcher.
''He's threatening people?'' the dispatcher asked.
''We can't get near him because he has a piece of glass in his hand. He's a kindergartner, I mean first-grader,'' Mason said.
''Really?'' the dispatcher asked.
''He's cut and he broke the glass with his hand,'' Mason said.
The dispatcher asked if the little boy was close to any other children. Mason responded, ``He's not close to any kids, but I'm scared he's going to hurt himself.''
After playing the tape for reporters Friday, Parker noted that the officers talked to the boy for about six to 10 minutes and asked permission from a supervisor before using the Taser on him.
Mason wrote in her report on the incident that the officers locked the door of the assistant principal's office, where the little boy was, and wouldn't let her in. When she finally did enter the office, the boy was already handcuffed and vomiting, according to her report.
After the incident, the department decided to review its Taser policy. But before that review was finished, another child was zapped by a county officer.
On Nov. 5, an unarmed 12-year-old who was playing hooky was felled by a Taser. Parker does not defend that use of a Taser and reiterated Friday that the officer would probably face discipline.
That officer voluntarily gave up his Taser shortly after the girl was zapped, police spokesman Pete Andreu said.
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© 2004 Herald.com and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.miami.com
In both cases it appeared as though the police had resorted to Tasering as a last resort. In one case the enraged 6-year-old was threatenint himself and others with a piece of glass and knocking him to the ground with a billy-club seemed to be overkill. Shooting him with a gun seemed excessive.
In the case of the 12-year old drunken, cigar smoking girl-truant, she was a danger to herself and was ready to dash across a busy intersection.
Too much blame heaped on the police department.
And they're supposed to use WHAT????
SPITBALLS???????????????
Fine - just plug the little criminals with a 9MM then.
BS if an adult cannot disarm a six year old, than that person does not deserve to be called an adult. Mothers and parents all thr time have to control children that are young and out of control and might have a dangeropuse object. Hell we are larger and stronger and faster and wiser. If an adult cannot handle that situation than that police officer should retire.
wouldn't be surprised if that cigar was laced with embalming fluid, either.
But a six year old? unless that six year old is holding the glass to his throat, you can grab him. or you can just sit there and WAIT. One reason parents do abuse difficult children is because of power struggles, or the belief they have to do something, instead of nothing at all, sometimes. and I learned this the hard way with my own difficult child. Just WAIT.
I guess we should be glad the officer exhibited restraint and tasered the child instead of shooting him. That's what some of them do with crazed suicidal adults holding knives.
Mrs VS
Ok, Rudy, Next time you have a situation YOU handle it. Your people could not and called police. So I guess it is okay if they get seriously injured. In fact it seems that they did handle it without serious injury.
Damned if you do, Damned if you don't I guess.
You had to be there.
Nah. I liked their description better -- an unarmed, 12-year-old girl playing "hooky".
She's unarmed. She's only 12. She's just a girl. And she's "playing".
And the meanie policeman felt so bad about it that he "voluntarily gave up his Taser".
As I said on the other thread, the girl's mother should have also been tasered for good measure.
The 6-year old was under 60 lbs. (the minimum for using a tazer). The 12 year old girl was ditching class, a situation that hardly warrants a major use of force.
It sounds like the Tazer's were viewed as a new toy by a couple overzealous members of the Miami PD.
Room full of supposed adult's, one 6 year old. Strip them of their badges, they were clearly overwhelmed! Blackbird.
Listen people, the stun gun is no big deal, it's just like accidentally touching the sparkplug on your lawnmower. It scares the hell out of you, but does no lasting damage.
I would MUCH rather get hit with a stun gun than a night stick. One knocks you on your ass, the other does the same, but breaks bones and leaves bruises.
For the experts that think a piece of broken glass is no problem, think of severed tendons and nerves and loss of use of a hand for life, both for the little hoodlum if you grab his hand too hard, or for your hand, if you're too slow.
If that was the result, while you had mace, stungun, and stick on your belt and were certified with all, the lawyers would be all over you for NOT using them instead of grabbing the kid and causing him to tighten his grip on the glass, losing him the use of his hand for life.
Wonder what blame would be assessed the officer had he allowed the out-of-control and drunken girl to dash across the street to be flattened by cars?
leftist-whiners to cops: "We would rather see a 10 year old cut the throat of that evil Christian boy rather (Dan?) than for you to use a taser to save both lives!" < snivel >
The taser was a quick simple solution that did no more damage than a swat on the rear with a paddle - which is what that kid was seriously lacking while growing up apparently.
They should hunt down the father, if the mother knows who he is, and charge him with benign neglect.
on ELEMENTARY school children, the police shouldn't even be there.
High School, ok, maybe a taser is in order. But on 8 year olds? Get a freakin grip, will ya.
Wise observations.
I've been as critical as anyone here of the militiarization of the police, but it looks like they acted appropriately based on the stories about this that have been posted here.
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