Local politicians are calling for a change in police department policy after an officer used a Taser stun gun on an 11-year-old girl suspected of shoplifting.
Cincinnati police said an off-duty officer working at a local super market was called to investigate a group of girls allegedly stealing from the store on Monday. When the officer approached one of the girls, the department said, she ignored him and began walking away.
After calling out several times for her to stop, the officer raised his Taser and shocked the girl – a 90lbs, 4ft 11in fifth-grader, according to local news reports – with the handgun-sized weapon, the department said.
The girl was transported to a local children’s hospital and released to a guardian. She has been charged with theft and obstruction of justice.
The officer was placed on restricted duty pending an official investigation.
“We are extremely concerned when force is used by one of our officers on a child of this age,” Police Chief Eliot Isaac said in a statement.
He added: “As a result, we will be taking a very thorough review of our policies as it relates to using force on juveniles as well as the propriety of the officer’s actions.”
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But the statement was not enough to appease local politicians, who noted that department policy allows for stun guns to be used on anyone between the ages of 7 and 70.
“I would like to confer with the police officers to see why that policy is in place,” City councilman Jeff Pastor told local news station WLWT.
“I’m not in the business of criticising the police, however a 7-year-old kid, being eligible for use of force by Taser, it probably shocks me, probably shocks most Cincinnatians.”
Vice Mayor Christopher Smitherman said he planned to introduce a motion raising the lower age limit to 12, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The girl’s mother, Donna Gowdy, also spoke out about the incident.
“If you can’t run, then you need to get off the police force,” she told local news station WCPO. ”If you can’t handle an 11-year-old child, then you really need to get off the police force. You here to protect these kids.”
Tasers deliver electric currents that can disrupt muscle control and cause victims to become incapacitated. Police department policy warns officers to be aware of the possibility that people can fall when struck by a Taser, potentially causing injury.
The weapons are to be used only when subjects for are actively resisting arrest, according to the policy.
“An individual simply fleeing from an officer, absent additional justification, does not warrant the use of the TASER,” the policy notes.