Arkansas Police Use Taser on 10-Year-Old Girl

[ocsdor]

It's the parents fault the kid is out of control; however, it is not suprising more and more kids are out of line these days considering the bombardment of media supporting the idea that spanking is abuse, time-outs are abusive, grounding is abusive, and now yelling is abusive.

Those of us that know that old-school discipline works (when used appropriately) need to speak out more in favor of it.

As far as what the cop did, I can't blame him too much. Even though I'm against the casual use of Taser, I'd be awfully tempted to zap the little brat after getting kicked in the groin myself.

 

[AJBB87]

The girl was violently kicking, the report said, and struck Bradshaw in the groin with her legs and feet.

Without being there and seeing for myself...at some point enough is enough...

AJB

 

[MyGlockRocks19]

So if my kids misbehave I can just whip out a Taser?
Something tells me I would be the one going to jail.

Something tells me I should have included the "sarcasm" smiley with my post.

I've got a very low tolerance for misbehaving children, especially the whole "I'm gonna kick and scream my head off" routine. No, you don't tase 'em, but you sure as hell don't let em get away with it either. Calling the cops is a poor solution....I'd reckon we'll be hearing more about this kid when she gets older, probably on the Maury Povich show.

 

[2ADMNLOVER]

A few days spent duct taped in a closet = attitude adjustment .

 

[theweakerbrother]

Wow, what a tough cop! Using a taser on a ten year old. If a ten year old gets off a crotch kick to you, maybe its time to defend yourself by blocking her kicks. Not using it as justifiable reason to use taser on her. If your using a taser on a 10 year old GIRL as a cop, or think it is appropriate, I suggest you find a line of work more suitable to you. I'm thinking something in Cake Decorating or Hair Dressing. The police are getting out of control.

The mom is to blame for this. Even if the child has a severe mental illness (opposition defiant disorder?), the mom still has to be a mom. To call the cops and expect Uncle Sugar to discipline the child is just as ridiculous.

As Maddox says:

For the record, the picture is just a joke but the rest of my post is not.

 

[Soundslikejosh]

There seem to be two different issues at hand here. The use of the taser is debatable, and that's not what I wish to argue. What surprises me is the basis for "arresting" this child. I'm not saying that a child can't be arrested for domestic dispute, but this certainly seems like a stretch. This is not an attempt to tell LEO how to do their job, but rather a request that they explain how this is either appropriate or inappropriate. Again, not questioning the use of the taser, but wondering about the arrest in the first place.

Thanks!

 

[x10]

10 year old, He should have beat her to death after all he's a cop and can do whatever he wants, That way the next one won't be any trouble

 

[Denny347]

10 year old, He should have beat her to death after all he's a cop and can do whatever he wants, That way the next one won't be any trouble

Yup, works for me.

 

[concrete dog]

wow

10 year old, He should have beat her to death after all he's a cop and can do whatever he wants, That way the next one won't be any trouble

not sure what to say to this? the taser is a 50/50 with children now days.but as far as this ten year old i think a tour of an old fashion wood shed might have done the trick

 

[Mr. Habib]

On the use of the Taser. It is supposed to be used in place of going hands on to minimize the risk of injury. If the officer had not used it and had injured the girl, he has set himself and the department up for a lawsuit. I can hear the cries of excessive force now. He was in a no win situation and would be crucified in the court of public opinion no matter what he did. I wasn't there and therefore won't judge his actions. The op stated that she was taken to a youth shelter. That could be for any number of reasons. It's not clear to me that she was charged with a crime, although kicking a police officer repeatedly in the groin is against the law in most places.

 

[Rookie]

Wow, what a tough cop! Using a taser on a ten year old. If a ten year old gets off a crotch kick to you, maybe its time to defend yourself by blocking her kicks. Not using it as justifiable reason to use taser on her. If your using a taser on a 10 year old GIRL as a cop, or think it is appropriate, I suggest you find a line of work more suitable to you. I'm thinking something in Cake Decorating or Hair Dressing. The police are getting out of control.

The mom is to blame for this. Even if the child has a severe mental illness (opposition defiant disorder?), the mom still has to be a mom. To call the cops and expect Uncle Sugar to discipline the child is just as ridiculous.

As Maddox says:

For the record, the picture is just a joke but the rest of my post is not.

Just a note of thanks for my new desktop background...

 

[El Cazador]

What if she was 5'8" and 200lbs? I've seen/dealt with young kids this size and look about 20. How would you deal with them? Not quite as cut and dry.

I've not seen any of the "OMG he used a taser on the child" answer this. I've seen kids like this, and they are darn near bigger than their mothers. And how is a quick zap any worse than a good whack on the rear from a wooden spoon or a flat hand? (I never used anything but my hand, the few times I needed to go that far).

 

[Scutter01]

10 year old, He should have beat her to death after all he's a cop and can do whatever he wants, That way the next one won't be any trouble

Really? Is that what he should have done? Beaten a child to death?

 

[printcraft]

I wonder if this is on this girls Christmas list this year.........

 

[Denny347]

Really? Is that what he should have done? Beaten a child to death?

I think his post was a poke at my profession.

 

[dross]

We have reached a sad state when someone is really making the argument that it's appropriate to tase a 10 year old girl. Really? I know she could have really sharp fingernails and everything, and gosh, those heels she was wearing are really hard, and maybe she was fat and weighed a lot for a ten-year-old.

Perhaps we should use snipers to get kittens out of trees, and plexiglass sheilds and riot sticks to pick up babies abandoned on church steps. After all, baby poop is really awful.

I hope a SWAT team doesn't show up on my doorstep for writing this, but I have a gay cousin whom I'd put my money on in a slap fight with an officer who needs to tase a little girl to get her into custody.

 

[Scutter01]

I think his post was a poke at my profession.

I know. It was sarcastic and pointless and served no purpose. I'm so sick of the cop bashing around here that he was already halfway through getting a 3-day ban before I stepped back and let another mod deal with it.

If you have a problem with A SPECIFIC LEO, take it up with THAT SPECIFIC LEO'S DEPARTMENT and stop painting all of law-enforcement with the same broad brush.

I'm not interested in second-guessing the cop's decision to taser the kid. I have a ten year old myself and there are some BIG kids at that age, and some of them (big or not) can be incredibly aggressive. Our neighbor's kid is ten and you're not prying him off you without a pretty big crowbar. He's gotta be pushing triple digits. The kid is BEEFY. The cop was there and I wasn't, so it was his call to make.

 

[Mr. Habib]

I think a lot of non LEOs here are missing the big picture on this. It IS NOT about if the LEO could take down a 10 yr old girl. It's about doing it with the lowest risk of injury to her and to the officer. Look at the use of force continum for just about any police department and you will find that the Taser is just above verbal commands and just BELOW hands on force. If the officer had gone directly to hands on he would have most likely violated his departments use of force policy. God help him if the poor misunderstood brat had scraped her knee if he did that. Like I said before, I wasn't there, I won't judge.

 

[El Cazador]

I know. It was sarcastic and pointless and served no purpose. I'm so sick of the cop bashing around here that he was already halfway through getting a 3-day ban before I stepped back and let another mod deal with it.

I was starting to idly wonder...I've noticed the milder epithets are making it through again, and some of the more aggressive and troll-like posts are appearing and lasting again

If you have a problem with A SPECIFIC LEO, take it up with THAT SPECIFIC LEO'S DEPARTMENT and stop painting all of law-enforcement with the same broad brush.

I'm not interested in second-guessing the cop's decision to taser the kid. I have a ten year old myself and there are some BIG kids at that age, and some of them (big or not) can be incredibly aggressive. Our neighbor's kid is ten and you're not prying him off you without a pretty big crowbar. He's gotta be pushing triple digits. The kid is BEEFY. The cop was there and I wasn't, so it was his call to make.

A guy I worked with last year has a son who was then 6'-0" and 240 lbs, and 12 years old. Seriously. Wore a size 11 shoe! The young man was well behaved (thankfully) but if he wasn't, and was following the trend of kids to be overtly aggressive and disrespectful towards others, does anyone think a sharp word, a wooden spoon or a smack on the rear would accomplish much? How else then would you stop them from attacking anyone?

 

[public servant]

On the use of the Taser. It is supposed to be used in place of going hands on to minimize the risk of injury. If the officer had not used it and had injured the girl, he has set himself and the department up for a lawsuit. I can hear the cries of excessive force now. He was in a no win situation and would be crucified in the court of public opinion no matter what he did. I wasn't there and therefore won't judge his actions. The op stated that she was taken to a youth shelter. That could be for any number of reasons. It's not clear to me that she was charged with a crime, although kicking a police officer repeatedly in the groin is against the law in most places.

Doing a little searching confirmed that according to the police report...the brat was kicking the mother when the police arrived on the scene. If she was arrested I'm sure that charges included battery. Nothing I've read so far confirms if the kid was actually arrested or simply removed from the home.

I've have, however, seen an 8 year old arrested for battery before when he split his brother's skull open in anger with a ball bat.

The Ozark Police Department has no guidelines concerning the age of a subject when using a taser. If I were attempting to arrest a kicking subject and feared injury from the kicks they were delivering and/or feared injury to the subject while attempting to restrain them for the arrest...and as long as I can truthfully articulate my actions and decision...I'd tase them.

If the decision to use the taser was made for any other reason...then it was possibly the wrong decision...IMO. But since I was not there to observe the incident...I can only assume the reports are correct. So far no one (even the mother of the child) has suggested otherwise. It will be interesting to see the outcome of this incident.

For those that disagree with the decision made...how would you have handled the situation?

And for the record...I've used my taser several times. On subjects ranging from 18 to in their 60's. Each time I've used it I'm certain I prevented someone from being injured. Sometimes that was me. Sometimes that was the subject being tased. That is what the taser is designed for.