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OPD adjusting policy after arrest of six-year-olds

Published  September 28, 2019 12:37am EDT
News
FOX 35 Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - The Orlando Police Department (OPD) is making changes after two six-year-olds were arrested at school. The officer who arrested has since been fired.

The policy changes are something the grandmother of one of the children who was arrested has been advocating.  OPD's previous rule was that you need permission from a supervisor before arresting something under the age of 12. Now, officers are going to need more than that.

"I was sick to my stomach when I heard this," said Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolon.

Chief Rolon publicly apologized after reserve officer Dennis Turner arrested two six-year-olds at Lucious and Emma Nixon Academy for battery last week.

"We were all appalled. We could not fathom a six-year-old being put in a police car. To be honest with you it's still shocking to us."

Now, Chief Rolon has found another way to apologize by making changes to keep this kind of incident from ever happening again.  OPD announced Friday updates to its Juvenile Arrest Procedures.

Under new policy, before a child under the age of 12 is arrested, the officer will need approval from a deputy chief, not just a supervisor. Reserve Officer Turner was fired after Orlando Police say he never got permission to arrest the children.

Another change is that any charger school requesting an officer to work off-duty at the school will now be managed by the school resource officer supervisor, instead of the traditional off-duty program.

Little Kaia was one of the children arrested, and the only one to be fingerprinted and have a mugshot taken. Her grandmother was pushing for changes like this.

"I think OPD has to better vet whoever they place into these schools and too OPD had to play a part in these legislations, because I have read that Florida has no minimum age for arrest," said grandmother Meralyn Kirkland.

FOX 35 reached out to the grandmother again Friday. Her spokesperson told FOX 35 she hasn't had the opportunity to fully review the changes but is happy OPD is working to ensure that what happened to Kaia never happens to another child again.Chief Rolon is also asking FDLE for an administrative expunction of the charges against the six-year-old.The internal investigation by OPD is ongoing.