Have you seen this headline.....

[christie]

Video Shows Police Handcuffing 5-Year-Old Girl



ABC News

The girl screamed "No!'' as officers put handcuffs on her.


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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (April 23) - An attorney says he plans legal action against police officers who handcuffed an unruly 5-year-old girl after she acted up in her kindergarten class.

A video camera, which was rolling March 14 as part of a classroom self-improvement exercise, captured images of the girl tearing papers off a bulletin board, climbing on a table and punching an assistant principal before police were called to Fairmount Park Elementary.

Then it shows the child appearing to calm down before three officers approach, pin her arms behind her back and put on handcuffs as she screams, "No!''

Largo lawyer John Trevena, who provided the tape to the media this week after obtaining it from police, says the officers went too far.

"The image itself will be seared into people's minds when you have three police officers bending a child over a table and forcibly handcuffing her,'' said Trevena, who represents the girl's mother, Inga Akins.

"It's incomprehensible ... There was no need for that,'' he added.



ABC News
The tape shows the girl lashing out at a school employee.

Police declined to comment, citing an official complaint by Akins that has sparked an investigation by the supervisor of the four officers who were present. Two are new officers who were being trained that day.

Spokesman Bill Proffitt said the investigation would be complete in about two weeks and the findings would be made public.

The 30-minute tape shows assistant principal Nicole Dibenedetto trying repeatedly to calm down the girl, who ignores her commands and begins punching her.

The child's mother was called but wasn't able to immediately come to the school.

After being placed in the back of a police cruiser, police released the girl to her mother after prosecutors informed them they wouldn't bring charges against a 5-year-old.


04-23-05 15:05 EDT

[Robin]

Oh sweet Lord Christie...I sure hope our school district dont see this. After kicking Chase out of school last week, this will be next!!!!! how rediculous!
hugs, Robin

[rickismom]

WHAt, Chase got kicked out of schooll!?!

[Kristen]

Didn't this happen a while ago? If not it's another case of it. I will be the lone one on this - after half and hour and the aggression she was demonstrated to be having, if she needed to be restrained (which it does sound like) the school probably could not touch her, so what else was there to do? Let her beat on people? What if she turned on another student? Then there would be an uproar about that. Thought I agree it is EXTREME, I am not sure I disagree 100% because I can see this from both sides.

[Jodi]

I saw the video. It's so sad.

Kristen, you bring up a good point, but there must be other means of handling a difficult situation like this. From what I saw, they hand cuffed her right away. Did anyone see the whole thing? Did anyone try something like "hey, let's go for a walk" to try to distract her/calm her down? There must be other steps in between. Now maybe she is a naughtly little girl who has a bad temper, but that wasn't my first thought, which was... "where's the behavior specialist... this is all wrong!" LOL! I dunno

[christie]

Awwww ROBIN, sooo sorry to hear bout school troubles HUGS girl, sure hope things get better for Chase at school



KRISTIN, according to the article it happened on March 14th, but was in the headlines yesterday for some reason. Being I wasn't there, I have no idea what really happened BUT it seems to me, if the article is correct

"Then it shows the child appearing to calm down before three officers approach, pin her arms behind her back and put on handcuffs as she screams, "No!''"

Hmmmm now again, I was not there BUT 3 officers to handle one little 5 year old Hmmmm.

Seems to me there could have been a better way to handle this, just my opinion

CC ~

[ourangelalicia]

It probably didn't hit the headlines until the video was released. In the video she is fighting with the assistant principal for quite a while...then when she is in the principals office she is just sitting quietly in a chair and THAT is when the officers come up and handcuff her. (What were they going to do, charge her with assault?!) She HAD calmed down and was not even talking when they cuffed her.

And from what i understand one of the same officers had been called to the school the week before for the same girl and her mother had been upset about THAT incident.

There is just no reason to handcuff a 5 year old. If one cop, let alone 4 can't handle her without handcuffing her then we have a serious problem with the law enforcement there!

Yet another reason not to move to Florida....

[edugatortracy]

You can visit www.sptimes.com (see Friday's edition) to view the video from both the classroom AND the assistant principal's office (about 5-8 mins. each). The kindegarten class had to be evacuated due to the child's behavioral choices. She destroyed personal and school board property, committeed battery on a school board employee and disrupted the learning of an ENTIRE class. Appartenly this was not the first time this child demonstrated the extreme behavior. If you watch the video from the assistant principal's office you will see the child defiantly destroying the space UNTIL she sees the officers THEN she sits down. The media took one piece of the incident, which does not tell the whole story. Perhaps the officers did not need to cuff the child, but what if they didn't and she started her tantrum up again and GOD FORBID grabbed their gun or pepper spray? It seems extreme looking at the cuffing exclusively, but the bottom line is that she needed to be kept safe- and so did the other people in the school.

I see the issue from both sides- as a parent and an educator. It is an extreme example of what schools are like today.

And as far as Florida goes- as a native, who grew up (and taught) in Pinellas county (where St. Pete is located), I happen to be quite happy in my home state. It is a wonderful place to live and raise a family. TEXT

[Jessie]

Well, after watching the videos, all I feel is extreme sadness for this child. There are obviously some behavioral issues that need to be dealt with which probably stem from issues at home, I mean did you see the way she was trying to punch the assistant principal? She has seen that way of fighting before . . . This child needs help NOW or she will end up being arrested for something worse later on . . . hmmmm . . . wonder when that happens who is going to be blamed? The "system" for letting her fall through the cracks or her mother for not getting her daughter some help she needs?

As far as the handcuffing - that does seem extreme, but the officer does say something to the little girl about telling the mother about the handcuffs - wonder if she knew that was going to happen and ok'd it?

Just my thoughts.

Jessie