This kind of story really disgusts me and shows exactly how little school officials and police care about our most vulnerable little ones. I've posted other stories about the use of tasers on young children, but this one is the worst yet. If you saw the video on TV last night, you saw that by the time the police arrived, the young child was sitting quietly in a chair. Quietly until 3 cops grabbed her, bent her over, and cuffed her. By then, the poor child was hysterical. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THIS TYPE OF POLICE ACTION!
Disclaimer: As a victim of police brutality (civil case pending against San Bernardino County, CA and the Sheriff of San Bernardino County), I am always alert to what I consider to be totally inappropriate action by law enforcement. In my own case, I had my back broken and was nearly smothered to death when I was attacked from behind by two sheriffs who each outweighed me by over 100 pounds. I was in the process of getting dressed and stark naked when they burst into my bedroom and threw me on the bed and then jumped on top of me. It was a case of home invasion and the wrong address at that. I never saw or heard them coming and until I felt the cuffs slapped on, I thought I was about to be raped.
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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.
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
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