February 1, 2021, 9:00 am
On Sunday, bodycam footage was shared of a nine-year-old girl being pepper-sprayed by Rochester police after being handcuffed and thrown facedown in the snow.
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According to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, the officers at the scene said that they were “required” to take such violent action because the child resisted arrest. Unsurprisingly, there are no actual policies that indicate their methods are acceptable—or necessary.
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The cops were called to the scene by a report of a family dispute that might involve a stolen vehicle. When they arrived, the girl’s mother said she was afraid her daughter was planning to hurt herself and others. The girl apparently arrived on the scene at that point and tried to flee.
Deputy Police Chief Andrew Anderson said at a press conference on Sunday that the girl “indicated she wanted to kill herself and she wanted to kill her mom.”
In a reasonable world, a child in this state of distress would have the support of a social worker or mental health professional at the scene. Instead, she had violent police officers who attempted to arrest her.
In the videos, which are extremely disturbing, she calls out for her dad as the officers push her down onto a snow-covered street and then handcuff her.
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When she refuses to get into the cop car, they threaten her with pepper spray, which clearly makes her even more terrified. Methodically, they pepper spray her in the face as she cries and screams for her dad.
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After being assaulted by a group of violent adults, the girl was brought to a mental health facility and treated and has since been released to her family. The incident is “under review,” according to Rochester Police Captain Mark Mura, though they haven’t said that the officers involved have been suspended or put on desk duty during the review.
Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren spoke at the Sunday press conference, saying she has a 10-year-old and was “very concerned” by the bodycam footage.
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“It is clear from the video we need to do more in support of our children and families,” Warren said.
Interim Police Chief Herriot Sullivan said, “I’m not going to stand here and tell you that for a nine-year-old to have to be pepper-sprayed is OK. It’s not.”
He added that he plans to “do the work” need to “ensure that these kinds of things don’t happen.”
*First Published: February 1, 2021, 9:00 am
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