Kindergartner handcuffed, taken to police station after allegedly throwing tantrum

usnews.msnbc.msn.com...

The family of a 6-year-old Georgia girl is upset at police and school officials after the girl was handcuffed and taken to a police station for allegedly throwing furniture, tearing items off the walls and knocking over a shelf, which injured the principal.

Police defended their actions

"Our policy states that any detainee transported to our station in a patrol vehicle is to be handcuffed in the back. There is no age discrimination on that rule," Milledgeville Police Chief Dray Swicord told WMAZ-TV.

and claimed the girl was shaken up by being put in a holding cell.

usnews.msnbc.msn.com...

This is not the first time an incident like this has occurred.

This is child abuse, plain and simple. Handcuffing a 6 year old child.

Child Abuse. Wake up.

This is America in the year 2012. Americans should be ashamed of themselves for allowing behaviour like this from police.

Everyday its something new, a new low.

How pathetic is society to sit in silence and allow this behaviour by police to continue?

This is just sickening. There is no reason to hand cuff a 6yo. I just cannot believe that someone could not have taken her outside to let her cool off and then to the principle's office for a principle-parent "chat".

throwing bookshelfs and furniture... I believe it was parent (grown up) abuse. Where did this strength come from, and was the child sexualy abused. that tis the question

I wonder if she will grow up with a healthy fear of authority and become a productive, law-abiding citizen.

I bet this girl will think twice before throwing a tantrum because, oh yeah! actions have consequences. Seems some parents are afraid to instill that truth

Edit: mom: "put your seatbelt on or you wont get that new video game!" kid: "No! I hate you!"
OR mom: "put your seatbelt on or the cops are taking you to jail" *click*

Keeping anyone handcuffed in the back of the car lessens the chance of injury to those arrested and the transporting officer. Handcuffs and seat belts keep them safe. Would you rather they pulled up in a transport wagon and let her throw her tantrum in an iron box where she could hurt herself?

There are out of control people in this world. Sometimes they need to be restrained to stop them from hurting themselves...even kids.

Teacher & principal - and whoever handcuffed -have LOT Of explaining to do.

Can parents SUE their child's school or the cops for all the damages/trauma?

Maybe I'll get flamed for this but it's my honest opinion. I don't have a problem with this.

Apparently she needed to be restrained for her own safety and the safety of others. She apparently had already caused one injury. What if that glass case she had tried to break crashed down on her? I bet someone would be asking why they didn't get her in control sooner.

Now, there are some TRULY horrible stories. Like the boy who got arrested for farting in class or another who was arrested and booked for back talking. Or small kids who are tasered.

If this little girl had been tasered or beaten, then I'd have an issue. But I do not have a problem with her being restrained. It really seemed like she was violently out of control and a danger to herself and others.

In taser incidents, it's always asked why didn't the police just restrain them? And that is what happened here- she was restrained. Handcuffs seem OK because the alternative would have been to hold her down or clasped which could have escalated things.

It's a sad story and a reflection on society but I'm not sure what else could have been done without getting the school sued or someone hurt, including the little girl.

Originally posted by LevelHeaded
This is just sickening. There is no reason to hand cuff a 6yo. I just cannot believe that someone could not have taken her outside to let her cool off and then to the principle's office for a principle-parent "chat".

Right?

What's she gonna do while in the back if she didn't have the cuffs on huh? Slip her hands through the grate in the patrol car and snap the cop's neck like a twig so she can escape? Ha! Yeah right!

America is a disgusting country these days, run by disgusting people, and their laws are enforced by morons.

I really dont see the issue here, she could of seriously hurt one of her classmates if the bookshelf fell on one of them and not the principle.

Sometimes a lesson needs to bought using different methods, I bet the girl doesnt want to be handcuffed again.


Cheers

reply to post by Nite_wing


But why was the police called in the first place? Why was she put into the cruiser? Why couldn't the school staff have handled a 6yo without police involvement?

reply to post by lacrimaererum


From Source (Officer on scene):

I attempted to calm Johnson down," he wrote in his incident report. "Johnson then pulled away and began actively resisting and fighting with me.

What the officer really meant was:

I attempted to calm Johnson down" he wrote in his incident report."Johnson then pulled away and began actively resisting and fighting with me, and looked as if she would take me down any second..! I quickly grabbed my handcuffs, and through the grace of god I was able to get them on the beast...saving face for both the department and myself...

reply to post by BiggerPicture


They have already explained everything they need too. There is no age discrimination for detainees traveling in a police vehicle.

If anything the principle should be the one to sue for being injured by the bookshelf.

Cheers

reply to post by FoxMulder91


The situation should never have escalated to the point where she was pushing over bookshelves. She should have been removed from the classroom well before reaching this point. At which time the parents should have been called to take her home.

Fluoride in the water, aspartame, and genetically modified foods probably puts these kids on edge 24/7.

Poor little tackers.

Suppose you're right.

Nowadays when a kid is extremely unruly, I reckon school should call 911, not the parents to come in right aways.

Even if its kindergarten - or pre-K?

Originally posted by BiggerPicture
Teacher & principal - and whoever handcuffed -have LOT Of explaining to do.

Can parents SUE their child's school or the cops for all the damages/trauma?

I'd rather see the school sue the parents for an out of control child.

But then again, I think people who scream about sueing everyone are a bunch of dillholes.

reply to post by LevelHeaded


Why are you trying to shift the blame from the girl to the teachers?

How do you know they didnt try to remove her from the room?

The situation seemed pretty crazy and im sure they other children in the classroom didnt feel comfortable seeing her rip apart the room.

Cheers

I fully expect people to defend this action by the police. Thats how it is these days.

Its a very sad state of affairs when it has become acceptable to cuff, and place a 6-year old in a cell. This is not how you treat children.
Its a crime by the people that allow this behaviour to continue.

Its like something you would expect to see in some sc-fi film set in the future where children are arrested and prosecuted just like adults.

Its probably safe to assume this will eventually become the norm in the US. The general population seem too stupid to see what is happening in the country.

reply to post by facelift


So basically the police attempted to calm her down and didnt have the intentions to handcuff her, however she did not cooperate with the officer, so she needed to be handcuffed.

Once the handcuffs were on, she was under control and was no longer a threat to hurt anyone in the room.

Seems like the police did there job properly. I dont the officer enjoyed having to handcuff a 6 year old girl.

Cheers

According to the article, there were several attempts to get a hold of the mother.

?

I just cannot blame the school. It's a sad story all the way around but if the child had gotten hurt or hurt another child, it would have ended much more badly.