10 year old gets taserd... for not going not going to bed..

[brandon_]

The local police chief in Ozark, Arkansas is standing behind one ofhis officers who tasered a 10-year-old girl who was refusing to go tobed.

The bizarre story is laid out in a police incident report obtained by website The Smoking Gun.

OfficerDustin Bradshaw was called to the home by a woman complaining that herdaughter was being unruly and refusing to go to sleep. Bradshaw wrotethat when he arrived at the home, he found Kiara Medlock "balled up in(sic) the floor crying and screaming."

After watching hermother attempt to get Kiara into the bathtub with little success,Bradshaw took the girl into the living room and threatened her withjail. That didn't settle things down. At some point, Bradshaw claimsKiara's mother told him to "taser her if I needed to."

Bradshaw then tried to handcuff Kiara. But he couldn't manage that either.

Tohear Bradshaw tell it, he was now in the midst of a full-on brawl onthe living-room floor with Kiara, a Grade 5 student. The 65-pounder was"verbally combative ... struck me with her legs and feet in the groin,"Bradshaw wrote.

That's when he reached for his holster and delivered a "very very (sic) brief drive stun to her back with my taser."

Unsurprisingly,Kiara's struggling stopped immediately. Bradshaw then cuffed her andcarried her to his squad car, since she could no longer walk.

The incident hit the news when Kiara's father, Anthony Medlock, took exception. Medlock does not live with Kiara's mother.

"I want to know how the heck in God's green earth can they get away with this ...If you can't pick the kid up and take her to your car, handcuff her,then I don't think you need to be an officer," Medlock told local Ozark40/29 news. He said his daughter has shown signs of emotional issues,but she "doesn't deserve to be treated like a dog."

The local police chief stood behind Bradshaw and his decision.

"He had no other choice. He had to get the child under control," said Ozark police Chief Jim Noggle.

Nodisciplinary action is pending against Bradshaw. However, theAssociated Press has reported that the FBI has dispatched agents toArkansas to investigate.

Medlock said he will attempt to gain sole custody of his daughter.



http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/728622--cop-tasers-girl-for-refusing-to-go-to-bed




some cop that is if he can't handle a 10 year old girl...

 

[mariomike]

"US officer who used stun gun on unruly 10-year-old fired for violating police policy: LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The police officer in a small Arkansas town who used a stun gun on an unruly 10-year-old girl has been fired for violating department policy - not for using the Taser itself but for failing to use the camera attached to it, according to the town's mayor.":
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/091130/world/us_tasered_girl

 

[bullitt]

Huh, I am no expert on teasers but are they not issued for a second to last resort, the last being a sidearm? The point about "if you cant handle a 10 year old girl having a tantrum, then you probably need to find a new job" is pretty bang on. But who knows maybe she took some secret ninja kicking class and was really putting a dent into this guy... 

 

[willellis]

This is sickening. I am a Correctional Officer in BC and I know that there is no reasonable excuse to deploy the taser in this instance, unless there was a reasonable threat to the officers life. The use of force circle goes as such. Presence, Verbal instruction, physical instruction, chemical administration (OC Spray, CS gas), less lethal tools (taser, baton), firearm/ lethal force. If a 10 year old fits into anything past the first two, you are utterly and totally useless as an police officer, and your department needs to undergo a serious overhaul of its recruiting process and standards. One more reason that it is not alway a good choice to have small town police agencies. It is so much easier to have one slip through the cracks when your recruitment budget is so little. I wish that this was exclusive to the US, but it seems to be happening more and more frequently in Canada. Just to bad. My father was a cop from the 60s to 80s and he had a pair of handcuffs and a gun. If his life wasn't on the line, he just had to kick ass, and take names. Just a shame that such valuable tools of the trade have become a sub for being able to handle ones self in a fight. IMO.

 

[[RICE]]

"To hear Bradshaw tell it, he was now in the midst of a full-on brawl on the living-room floor with Kiara, a Grade 5 student. The 65-pounder was"verbally combative ... struck me with her legs and feet in the groin,"Bradshaw wrote."

I think anyone here with a child/sibling who's mentally disabled might be able to relate to this experience.

My sister (now 14) is developmentally delayed and has some form of autism (or so the most recent professional has told us.)
I DO NOT condone his actions, becoming physically aggressive with a child or inflicting pain in any way.

That being said, I have been subjected to similar fits of rage from my sister from time to time. She's a sweetheart and I love her dearly, but every now and then when her emotions build up, she has a meltdown. I've had my eyes scratched, hair pulled out, been bitten until I bled and kicked in the groin. Now, I have been shown how to properly restrain a child in these events, and best of all, I have to take it all while remaining entirely calm and positive. No easy feat. Thankfully these meltdowns do not happen often and CPRI London has helped immensely; when she calms down we talk it out, and see how we can avoid a similar situation in the future. Like I said, she's sweet, but at times she can even be a handful for my father (6'2", ~220lbs). Don't underestimate a determined child!

What I would like to know is if police are trained on how to restrain a child? There are different methods of restraint depending on the age and size of the child; you can't expect someone who knows how to restrain an adult to be able handle a child.

 

[Dennis Ruhl]

Size and attitude once was a police qualification.  Just as they now hire firefighters who can't carry the average person, they employ cops who can't win a fight.  Years ago I knew many police and periodically they ended up in fist-fights including some real brawls.  It's all in the name equal rights.

 

[Greymatters]

I dont see why the officer got involved in the incident in the first place.  A parent-child matter like this did not require law enforcement intervention...

 

[mariomike]

Size and attitude once was a police qualification.  Just as they now hire firefighters who can't carry the average person, they employ cops who can't win a fight.  Years ago I knew many police and periodically they ended up in fist-fights including some real brawls.  It's all in the name equal rights.

When I hired on with Metro Ambulance you had to be 5'8" and 160 lbs. No exceptions. Not ever.
Since then, the law has changed:
http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/resources/Policies/PolicyHtWt/pdf

 

[mariomike]

I have been shown how to properly restrain a child in these events, and best of all, I have to take it all while remaining entirely calm and positive.

It takes training and practice, and it's not pretty to watch. The main thing to guard against is Positional Asphyxia. 

 

[FastEddy]

I dont see why the officer got involved in the incident in the first place.  A parent-child matter like this did not require law enforcement intervention...

You are certainly correct in that assumption. There are so many things wrong with the Attitudes, Policies, Training and Deployment of this Officer and Police Dept.

This Police Chief is straight out of a 1930's horror movie.

One can make allowances for Financing and Training of small town or backwater Police or Sheriffs Departments. But Stupid, Dangerous, Cruel and Inappropriate Actions cannot be justified.

As for the Mother of that child, she's lucky she lives were she does, why the CPS's aren't beating down her door is beyond me.

Cheers.