Perfect example of a Law Enforcment gone wrong.
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The local police chief in Ozark, Arkansas is standing behind one of his officers who tasered a 10-year-old girl who was refusing to go to bed.
The bizarre story is laid out in a police incident report obtained by website The Smoking Gun.
Officer Dustin Bradshaw was called to the home by a woman complaining that her daughter was being unruly and refusing to go to sleep. Bradshaw wrote that when he arrived at the home, he found Kiara Medlock "balled up in (sic) the floor crying and screaming."
After watching her mother attempt to get Kiara into the bathtub with little success, Bradshaw took the girl into the living room and threatened her with jail. That didn't settle things down. At some point, Bradshaw claims Kiara's mother told him to "taser her if I needed to."
Bradshaw then tried to handcuff Kiara. But he couldn't manage that either.
To hear Bradshaw tell it, he was now in the midst of a full-on brawl on the living-room floor with Kiara, a Grade 5 student. The 65-pounder was "verbally combative ... struck me with her legs and feet in the groin," Bradshaw wrote.
That's when he reached for his holster and delivered a "very very (sic) brief drive stun to her back with my taser."
Unsurprisingly, Kiara's struggling stopped immediately. Bradshaw then cuffed her and carried her to his squad car, since she could no longer walk.
The incident hit the news when Kiara's father, Anthony Medlock, took exception. Medlock does not live with Kiara's mother.
"I want to know how the heck in God's green earth can they get away with this ... If you can't pick the kid up and take her to your car, handcuff her, then I don't think you need to be an officer," Medlock told local Ozark 40/29 news. He said his daughter has shown signs of emotional issues, but she "doesn't deserve to be treated like a dog."
The local police chief stood behind Bradshaw and his decision.
"He had no other choice. He had to get the child under control," said Ozark police Chief Jim Noggle.
No disciplinary action is pending against Bradshaw. However, the Associated Press has reported that the FBI has dispatched agents to Arkansas to investigate.
Medlock said he will attempt to gain sole custody of his daughter.
-Toronto Star.
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/728622--cop-tasers-girl-for-refusing-to-go-to-bed
So what would you have done?
To start with the girl evidently has some mental problems but the police office has a lot more problems if he can't talk to and calm down a 10 year old. The mother needs to take responsibility of raising her child and teach her manners and not call the police when she has a problem.
This is so wrong on so many levels! I mean I have 3 girls who never want to go to bed! I don't call the cops, I would never dream of tasering them. I would try calming them down, I have to do that with one on occassion, and usually it works. If not, I do what any mother would do, I rock her. Yes, I would rock her if it would help. She is 4, but still she is my baby and if that is what it takes to calm her down and get her to sleep, I say that it is fine. And as for my other two, I just tell them, to bad it's time for bed. They might make some comments, but none that are harming, and we all go upstairs and do our bedtime thing. We make sure their beds are ready for them to sleep in, and turn on their heat blankets, maybe a story, and tuck them in bed, including lots of hugs and kisses!!! Maybe I'm wrong, but that's how we do it!! No police and they go to sleep!!!
I think it is outrageous ! This poor child has had NO upbringing -evidently - with any loving discipline.
That is definitely child abuse.....and the Mother needs to be held accountable for a lot of things, it seems to me.
I can't help wondering is she is unruly at whatever kind of school she goes to, or that was behavior just for home.The mother needs some counseling or parenting classes for dealing with whatever problem her daughter has.
I can believe the child was out of control, but . . .
as foster parents we had specific training to handle out of control children - even when they were larger than we were.
We took the Mandt training - very effective!
West Elk teachers have also had Mandt training. I think some of them became trainers themselves.
The majority of Mandt is how to talk and position your body so there is no running away.
When that doesn't work, part of what Mandt teaches is how to hold out-of-control children safely.
Handcuffs not needed. Tasers not needed.
The officer should have had training of a similar kind.
This is so seriously wrong. That child needs special help as in counseling, maybe psychiatric help. The mother also needs the same training. Unless that child is armed with a weapon of some sort, there is no reason for the mother to call the police. And, unless that child has a weapon, there is no reason for the officer to use a taser. There must be more to the story because I can't believe that a police officer and the mother could not restrain the child. Perhaps the child needs to be removed from her mother's custody for a while to get the help she needs.
Larryj
Why is it that everytime a story like this makes the news people automatically jump to the "..oh they need counselling" thing? Could it be tht this child is just being a brat and is in dire need of a whipping?
Quote from: Varmit on November 23, 2009, 07:36:01 PM
Why is it that everytime a story like this makes the news people automatically jump to the "..oh they need counselling" thing? Could it be tht this child is just being a brat and is in dire need of a whipping?
Nahh that would be too easy to whip their butts. Doesn't involve thousands of dollars of shrink fees and a lotta self pity. Now i have known some kids that age that could have used a good tasering. They were spawns of satan.
Before folks start going off about how wrong it is to whip you kids. Let me explain, I don't think that children should be beaten to the point of abuse. I just don't think there is anything wrong with spanking a child when it is called for. All this Dr. Spock, Dr. Phil, mamsy-pamsy approach to parenting has gotten out of hand. It is not hard to look at most kids today and see that there is major room for impovement. There is a serious discipline defict in this country today.
It's called lack of raisin........Mom needs a responsibility wake-up call.
Yes, I agree so with Pam on this. The girl has been lead to believe that it is alright to throw the fits that she throws. But also look at the girls situation. Parents are divorsed. Maybe the girl is acting out. Not saying that is right, but she could be very hurt by what is going on with her family. I have fit throwers in my group of 3 girls! And I have, at times, wondered what to do. But never did it cross my mind to call the police and make them handle it! It's my responsiblity as a parent to teach them that its not exceptible to act that way!! That is the problem with many parents today. They don't see that they are raising young adults that need to be able to survive on their own. I don't have perfect children by any means, and I except that! If I get a call about something that they have done at school, I don't jump at the teacher and say, well they don't act that way at home or they wouldn't ever do that. I usually know that they probably did do what the teacher said. Its because I know my children!! ;D
I think the mother needs to take responsiblity as a parent and should have taken charge of the situation here!! Plain and simple!!
Pam ya got me there for a minute with the raisin comment ;D I just wondered what fruit had to do with it. ;D ;D ;D That whole thing was handled very badly, that's why it was newsworthy. I wonder if we'll ever hear the rest.
There are lots of problems with this child and this family, to be sure. But once the police are involved, there are some other questions that need to be examined. For examply, did this cop never receive training on a thing called 'backup'. Sheesh, only a fool would continue to engage alone when he/she was obviously unable to accomplish the task. Why the hell didn't he get some backup? Idiot!
My guess would be ego. The 'I can handle this alone' mentality. Seems it's not only the kid and family who need some training.
A true case of police brutality. That cop should be jailed for child abuse.
Have you heard any more?
Follow-up:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=9210360
(If you don't want to open the link: officer fired for not using camera while using Taser.)
That is truly sad. Forget the fact that he tasered a 10yr old little girl, but fire him for not using a camera. And we teach our kids to look up to and trust cops. Pathetic.
Very sad indeed.
I do believe we can thank Dr Spock for the problems we have with children right now. He was the one that started the no child should be spanked. I think a good swat on the butt will not harm a child but might get their attention. And the idea of Time out in the corner is out of the question for some children. Yes, I think a Tazer is incorrect and the policeman was out of line.
My first question is "Why was a police officer sent out on a call like this",some one was being robbed or a young women was being raped while he was involved with this.