New York bill would outlaw use of pepper spray on minors auburnpub.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from auburnpub.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
jwhittaker@post-journal.com
This frame grab from police body camera video provided by the Rochester Police Department, shows Rochester police standing nearby as a handcuffed 9-year-old girl is put into a police car and pepper sprayed on Jan. 29, 2021. Newly released police body camera video captured the 9-year-old girl’s distressing wait for an ambulance after she is pepper-sprayed by police while handcuffed in a police cruiser. Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren said Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, the city released almost 90 minutes of additional video in order to be transparent.
AP photo
Several state lawmakers want to make it illegal to use tear gas and pepper spray on teenagers or children.
Published Tuesday, February 2, 2021 6:16AM EST Last Updated Tuesday, February 2, 2021 4:01PM EST (CNN) Three Rochester, New York, officers have been removed from patrol duty after an incident in which a 9-year-old girl was handcuffed and pepper-sprayed, Interim Police Chief Cynthia Herriott-Sullivan said. Body camera videos of Friday s encounter released by the police department over the weekend showed officers restraining the child, putting her in handcuffs and attempting to get her inside the back of a police vehicle as she repeatedly cries and calls for her father. The officers were responding to what police called a report of family trouble in an encounter sharply criticized by city officials. The incident led to protests in the community.
It was clear that police thought she was a problem.
The 9-year-old girl was not complying with police orders. Already handcuffed, she would not swing her legs into the back of the police car. She complained about a bad arm. She kept calling for her dad. She was unable to stop sobbing. Rochester, N.Y., police officers, who had responded to a domestic disturbance at the girl’s home, were getting frustrated.
One of the police officers scolded the little girl for “acting like a child.”
“I am a child,” the girl yelled back. Moments later, he pepper-sprayed her.
Video of the child’s detainment, which occurred Friday afternoon, provoked protests in the streets of Rochester on Monday and drew outrage from many who watched the body-camera footage. On Twitter, “She’s 9” began trending, with the vast majority of tweets expressing horror but not necessarily surprise that a 9-year-old girl would be treated that way by law enforcement. By Monday night, Rochester city offi
Protesters march on Rochester police barricades after nine-year-old girl is pepper sprayed during mental health episode
A SCANDAL: The New York Civil Liberties Union said Rochester police should not be involved in mental health crises (Image via Getty Images)
ROCHESTER POLICE officers who sprayed a nine-year-old with a chemical substance and handcuffed her have been suspended, the Associated Press reports.
It is unknown how many officers were arrested. Their suspensions will last until an internal investigation is completed.
In police body cam footage, the child who is wearing a black sweatshirt and leggings with flowers on them, looks visibly distressed as she is arrested.