A 6-year-old arrested in Florida

A few weeks ago some very strange news caught my eye. In Orlando Florida a schools resource officer by the name of Dennis Turner arrested a 6-year-old girl for having a temper tantrum in class. It all started with a call to the girls grandmother where the resource officer told her that her granddaughter Kaia Rolle kicked a school employee and has now been arrested, and is on her way to Juvenile Assessment Center were she going to be charged with battery.

I said, ‘What do you mean, she was arrested?

Kaia’s grandmother on the phone with Dennis Turner

Shocked by the call Kaia’s grandmother tried to reason with Turner saying that Kaia is suffering from sleep disorder (sleep apnea) but he was having non of it, saying “Well, I have a sleep apnea, and I don’t behave like that”. This comment already showed me what kind of person (donkey) Dennis Turner really is. Who in their right mind would arrest a 6-year-old for having a tantrum. A grown ass man should know better!

Per OPD policy, if children are under 12 years old, an officer must get approval from a watch commander to make an arrest.

OPD= Orlando Police Department

As the quote dictates you need to acquire a watch commanders approval in order for arresting a minor under the age of 12. Dennis Turner did not even seek for the watch commanders approval and proceeded on his own to bring Kaia to the Juvenile Assessment Center. As the case went public an investigation was launched against Turner immediately.

What I would have done

As a kindergarten worker I know that sometimes children get angry, and they do stupid stuff without realising the consequences. Temper tantrums are common in young children. In this case though I would have involved the schools principal immediately. The principal would have contacted Kaia’s legal guardian, and together we would have gone trough the incident. Afterwards Kaia would have apologized to the employee, and if necessary received fitting punishment for her actions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RauwnOWXggA

Turner gets the heat.

It didn’t take long to hear from the officials that the charges against Kaia Rolle had been dropped, and the schools resource officer Dennis Turner had been terminated. Orlando Police Department Chief Rolon expressed his apologies to the children and families involved. He also emphasized that he is going to make sure that every OPD officer is aware of the departments arrest policy regarding minors under the age of 12 years.

Here we have the astounding Dennis Turner, and although I am sad he lost his livelihood, I am happy he got terminated from this job. Clearly he needs to think about a career change. I cant phantom the idea of a 6-year-old sitting handcuffed in the backseat of a police car. No child should ever experience thing like that especially after a little tantrum.

References:

YouTube videos: both accessed 04.10.2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJmHNEqxpTw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RauwnOWXggA

Google photo : accessed 04.10.2019 https://www.google.com/search?q=dennis+turner&sxsrf=ACYBGNTgB0ueVA6yJEFCbq30fhuAo2hK3Q:1570189228287&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjCnrrZwoLlAhVSAxAIHegeAwEQ_AUIESgB&biw=1920&bih=967#imgrc=kJ9AIziPCQrgOM:

News articles: both accessed 04.10.2019 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/6-year-olds-arrested-in-florida-orlando-police-officer-dennis-turner-suspended-after-incident/ https://www.clickorlando.com/news/orlando-police-say-both-arrested-children-are-actually-6-years-old

Suurin osa Showcasen blogeista on toteutettu osana Laurean opintojaksoja. Koko koulutustarjontaamme voi tutustua nettisivuillamme. Tarjoamme kymmenien tutkintoon johtavien koulutuksien lisäksi myös paljon täydennys- ja erikoistumiskoulutuksia sekä yksittäisiä opintojaksoja avoimen AMK:n kautta!