The body camera video shows the girl crying out for her father, and screaming before her head is held down as she's handcuffed. The cops struggle to get her inside the back of a police vehicle. Where was the city's mental health team? Via CNN:
(CNN)A 9-year-old girl was handcuffed and pepper sprayed by police officers responding to a report of "family trouble" in Rochester, New York, on Wednesday, according to Rochester Deputy Police Chief Andre Anderson.
Two body camera videos of the incident released by the police department on Sunday show officers restraining the child, putting her in handcuffs and attempting to get her inside the back of a police vehicle as she is heard repeatedly crying and calling for her father.
Officers are then seen pepper spraying the girl after she doesn't follow commands to put her feet inside the car.
The girl was transported to Rochester General Hospital where she was later released, Anderson said.
This is what critics mean when they use the clumsy term "defund the police." What they're really talking about is having mid-level resources to prevent domestic and mental health situations from escalating to the point where they need police intervention. Rochester PD does have a crisis team; now we'll have the investigation into why they weren't called instead of the cops. (I'm guessing it's that the city doesn't have enough funding to pay the crisis team to work the weekends.)
But pepper-spraying a nine-year-old in the face? Seems like it shouldn't have gotten to that point.
Rochester police union chief defending the pepper spraying of a 9-year-old girl:
"Had they had to go and push further, and use more force, there's a good chance she could have been hurt worse."
Not sure that's making your case stronger.pic.twitter.com/8BhokISXpo— Eoin Higgins (@EoinHiggins_) February 1, 2021