5 year old handcuffed by cops

[Del]

The videotaped altercation with a 5-year-old girl who was hauled off in handcuffs following an extended tantrum at her St. Petersburg, Fla., school has led to questions about whether the police overreacted.

Crazy shit...

[Lazlo]

They get 'em used to the cuffs early in Florida.

[Super Freak]

They should have called her parents or medics...she was obviously having some sort of episode. Arent teachers supposed to be trained for this sort of thing?

[StoneMtn]

In the [color:purple]land of the free, home of the brave, the answer is always, "call in the cops".

(I'm just surprised they didn't set their dogs on her.)

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

What is it with people in uniforms with weapons? I think the point made in the article about re-escalation could well be spot on. I mean, who's really acting out here?

[SaggyBalls]

"Things evidently did not improve after that, however. The tape cuts to Dibenedetto's office, which has been trashed, apparently by the girl. She is seen ripping papers off the wall and refusing Dibenedetto's requests that she stay seated in a chair.

The girl even becomes violent at that point, taking numerous swings at Dibenedetto, who only puts her hands up to block the girl's punches."

uh...hello?? handcuffs are definitely a propos for this stupid little bitch - 5 or 20 years old. restraint is a-ok by me.

there's no excuse for children to act like this. this kid's parents obviously have not taught her anything about manners.

just remember...the police are there for a reason and just because you can get in trouble for some things you do and that you might resent them for things some officers of the law have done in the past, doesn't mean they're always wrong.

if in doubt, always bring some werthers' originals along with you for bribes.

Edited April 23, 2005 by Guest

[Jared]

well said beats

[StoneMtn]

Beats: She's FIVE.

[Del]

I have to disagree with both of you... I've seen the tape, the kid was upset, but let's keep in mind it was a 5 year old... I've seen teachers in high school handle two pretty big kids that were fighting... You're telling me they couldn't handle a 5 year old girl? Seems like overkill to me to call in the cops. Manners had nothing to do with it Beats, the girl was having a "tantrum". We've all had them as children, yet I doubt any of us has been handcuffed for having them. I'm not a big fan of kids in general, but this episode speaks volumes as to the state of American panic at the moment.

[hamilton]

Reason number 4,538 for me to not have children.

[SaggyBalls]

and about the werthers thing...during setbreak at 33 hess after the wailers were stopped at the border and i still thought their show was on last year i sideswiped a cop - huge narsty dent in his car...i think you all may have read this story before...anyhow, when we were stopped and had talked to each other, i gave the cops candy...it worked like a charm.

as i walked over to the passenger door of the cruiser to the lady cop, she looked up to me with this frail little expression - like i was the cop and she'd just been pulled over doin 140 in an 80...and i handed her a candy and said 'here ya go...looks like we'll be waiting a little while', smiled, and she smiled back...the look in her eyes was priceless. the relief.

they lowered my ticket to failure to stay within marked lanes and put it to court...but haven't heard back about that since so i'm assuming i paid that ticket already...when i switched cars - my rear license plate had been stolen and my car needed a new suspension...so i got a new car...but i was stopped while driving the broken car (the imperial - i miss her) with an expired temporary permit. the cop said 'i'll let you go but i can't promise another police officer will go easy on you'

and i was pulled over with the schoolgirls after the diesel dog show at dekcuf in the fog after hanging a Uey by an unmarked K-9 SUV that i assumed was unmarked for a strange reason (i was proud of myself) and the cop said 'i smell pot on you' - i pleaded regbliatti on it and looked him right in the eye, commented that i had to get the girls back home to the country...and called his bluff. i heard the dog though i agreed to let him search the car but it was all a bluff...cause of course, he didn't have the right or probable cause...but it was fun and i'm sure the girls were a bit spooked which is always fun.

now if i'd thrown a tantrum and yelled and bitched i'd have gotten the shitty end of the stick...like when i ran a stopsign and right around the corner there was a ride program in the little town of kemptville...my stomping grounds.

i said 'i've lived here for blah blah blah - this is such an inconvenience - i don't deserve this ticket blah blah blah...'

so i got the ticket.

BUT i knew that where the cop was he couldn't have seen me cause i didn't see that ride program and it was around a building, so what i did was get my camera and take some photos from where the cop was standing and where he'd need to be to actually see the stop line.

the cop gave me the thumbs up and mouthed 'way to go' in court to me. i won the case, so Giggles and I split a case...of moosehead.

so be nice and you won't have any hassles...and if you're an asshole you've gotta back it up.

[SaggyBalls]

(more in response to del)

believe what you will, but i never had a tantrum like that. i never trashed my principal's office. i never gave anybody an even remote reason to have the cops called on me.

you may equate it to this epidemic of fear (thankyou bowling for columbine) but I think it's definitely one way for a kid to learn and a parent to realize that it's time to start helping his/her child through their anger problems...like maybe some counselling? if my 5 year old were to get taken home in a squad car it'd be a wakeup call to me.

there's no excuse for kids to have that kind of outburst. if your excuse is 'kids have tantrums' then it's a pretty weak one. kids shouldn't have tantrums. slight outbursts are not TANTRUMS...slight outbursts don't get kids carted away in handcuffs.

it's easy to blame the police, the principal, the laws, television (especially those reality television shows), drugs, cigarettes, gangs, the inner city...whatever you're going to use as a scapegoat. if we were there we could accurately gauge if it was a bad choice, but until then we can't. we can only assume the police and principal were in the wrong if we're going to play devil's advocate or have contempt for authority.

maybe they should have brought in some dogs. scare the shit out of that kid. the schnauzer squad.

perhaps overdone, but how else are kids going to learn, and how else are parents going to learn?

they're not about to reform their education system. it's easier to get a cop to do their job than make new jobs to improve the quality of education and educational and parental communication.

Edited April 23, 2005 by Guest

[Del]

This isn't relative in any way, but I found it both funny and disturbing... (Sorry it's such a large picture)

[SaggyBalls]

no del i think it probably is.

abused people can react and lash out in violent ways. maybe the kid's parents are awesome, but perhaps they don't listen to her, or get her to do their chores, or neglect her in other ways.

but you're right - it is a big picture.

i like the frog feet.

[Nitro Compression]

I think there is a systemic component to this story as well. I think it is too easy to blame the parent, the child and even the school for resorting to calling the cops. They clearly have a policy that allows them to call the cops.

We have programs and trained specialists in north america that can help kids internalize anger management skills. But who are these programs accessable too? Especially in Jeb Bush's Florida... This child is clearly not able to manage her own anger and needs help and direction to do so. The question I have is, do we want to send the message that "the man" will come and control you if you cannot do it yourself. Or do we want to help kids with serious acting out and anger management problems learn to deal with this kind of problem themselves? I guess it depends who your parents are and where your come from. As Lazlo said "They get them used to cuffs early in Florida".

[CatPhish]

First of all, I'll make it absolutely clear that a five year old in hand cuffs is not my idea of a good solution to this problem. But seeing how it is the U.S. I can kind of hypothesize how it could happen.

I figure that Bush’s ( either one's) destruction of the social system, means that there is little to NO support Staff (ex. Child and youth workers, educational assistants etc.), who are trained to restrain children) in schools. Most teachers, at least in my experience, are NOT trained to restrain children. Teachers could face charges if anything went wrong, I'm sure this TRIPLES in the case of law suits in the good ol' U S of A. Children can loose complete control of all copping skills in these situations and end up really hurting themselves. Calling the police may have been the only choice that the school had to protect the child and or others. Although, above someone mentioned the Medics which probably would have been a better choice.

AS a Child and Youth Worker who deals with children in these situations everyday, I can absolutely promise you that a five year old with adrenaline pumping through their body can be just as strong as an adult. It also seems quite clear to me that this child has issues and it is not just a "normal " childhood tantrum. I have done “therapeutic” restraints many of times and trust me it is not pretty I'm sure many walking by or who saw a picture would have ALOT to say about it. But in the end I have either stopped a child form hurting themselves or from hurting others.

So in the end I say BLAME the Florida double Bush factor for not having enough support staff in school.

Edited April 23, 2005 by Guest

[Nitro Compression]

CatPhish, I have great respect for your line of work. I did some releif work at a residential treatment centre for young kids. It is really eye opening to learn about their worlds (internal and external family life).

[CatPhish]

Thanks, everyday I am more and more amazed at their resiliency, it's inspiriting in many ways, however some nights I come home and cry.

[elemeno]

so caning is wrong?

wow. becoming a father i thought i had the right to hit my kid with a stick. who would have know.

[B & Z]

Wow. The US is so fucked up it's hard to know where to start.

Steve

[scottieking]

Again, while handcuffs are extreme, I think there is a piece of the puzzle yet to be examined here.

This is America, home of million dollar lawsuit. The report I saw on the television, with video leading up to the event, showed two teachers trying to calm the girl, but being VERY careful to avoid physical contact. Now I specfically don't know how it works down there, but up here, we are not supposed to touch a student in anyway, even breaking up fights. A teacher at my school faced charges and discipline for grabbing a kidss shoulder to stop him from walking away with a lit joint. I'm hypothesizing that the cops were called because they were the only people who could legally restrain her.

Still, it is sad to see, no doubt.

[Super Freak]

Medics could have put her in a staight jacket until she calmed down. Handcuffs are for criminals not kids. I have two five year olds so I know the maturity level of a five year old. If that was my kid I would be beyond any version of angry I could explain. The parents should have been called, period.