Mom of Girl Stunned by Cop: If You Can't Restrain Little Kids, 'Find a Different Job'
Sharon Coolidge and Cameron Knight
Cincinnati Enquirer
9:24 p.m. ET Aug. 8, 2018
On Monday, a Cincinnati police officer used a Taser to stop an 11-year-old girl from leaving a grocery store after she allegedly stole snacks. Investigations have been launched and the girl's mother is calling for policy changes.
Officer Kevin Brown, 55, was working an off-duty security detail at the Spring Grove Village Kroger, police said. He was investigating a group of juvenile girls suspected of stealing from the store.
According to police officials, Brown approached one of the girls, but she ignored his commands to stop and kept walking out of the store. Brown fired his Taser at her striking her in the back.
The girl was taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. She was also charged with theft and obstructing official business. Her date in juvenile court has not yet been scheduled. She's been released into the custody of her mother, Donna Gowdy.
However, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said Wednesday the girl would not be charged criminally, adding that he supports an investigation into why a Taser was used.
"Generally with anyone under the age of 12, we want law enforcement to discuss charges with us," Deters said. "That was not done in this case."
Mayor John Cranley also weighed in, releasing a statement that reads:
Tasing an 11-year old who posed no danger to the police is wrong. I'm sorry for the harm done to her and her family. This evening I called and asked Prosecutor Deters to drop charges against the girl. I'm happy to report that he did and I thank him for doing so.
Gowdy found out what happened from some of the other kids in the neighborhood Monday night. She said she waited until about 10 p.m. until police contacted her and arranged to take her to the hospital for the family's Winton Hills apartment.
"I feel disappointed in the system," Gowdy said. "I feel hurt."
She said her daughter admitted to taking the snacks, but that police should have handled the situation differently.
"If you can't restrain these little kids, you need to find a different job," Gowdy said. "She should have never got tased."
The girl said she was with her 9-year-old sister and another friend. She didn't want to talk about what happened. She only said she felt sad. The Enquirer is not naming the girl.
Gowdy said her daughter is still complaining of back pain and has had trouble sleeping. She said police investigators came to her home Tuesday to speak with her about the incident.
"She should have never got tased," she said. "I don't understand why he did that."
She's not alone in her confusion.
"There needs to be a complete investigation," said Vice Mayor Christopher Smitherman, chairman of council's Law and Public Safety Committee. "It's hard to understand why an 11-year-old would be tased. I expect answers in 24 hours."
Chief Eliot Isaac said he was "extremely concerned" any time force is used on a child of this age. He said his department would begin a thorough review of the policies concerning the using force on juveniles.
Brown was placed on restricted duties pending an investigation into his actions.
When they are effective, Tasers fire two barbs that can embed in the skin and electrically shock a person, resulting in incapacitation.
Cincinnati police are told Tasers can be used on people, ages 7 to 70, actively resisting arrest, which in some cases includes fleeing from officers or ignore commands to stop, according to the department's procedure manual.
“An individual simply fleeing from an officer, absent additional justification,
does not warrant the use of the TASER,” the manual states. “The TASER may be deployed on a suspect actively resisting arrest when there is probable cause to arrest the suspect.”
Officers are told to weigh the severity of the crime and the risk the suspect poses to the public.
"The preferred target area is the back of the individual actively resisting arrest,” the manual states.
Last year, the Chicago Police Department revised its Taser policy, advising officers not to shock people who run away, are intoxicated or could fall and suffer a head injury.
Gowdy said her daughter went down face first into the floor when she was struck by the Taser. According to police reports, the girl is 4-feet, 11-inches tall and weighs 90 pounds.
It is unclear if the incident was caught on surveillance cameras. Police officials said Brown was wearing a body camera but did not activate the camera until after the Taser was used.
The department's policy on body cameras states officers are required to activate the devices during all law enforcement-related encounters, but also says under extenuating circumstances, using the cameras may not be possible.
Gowdy wants to know more. She questioned why Brown acted the way he did while working an off-duty detail, and why officers are told that Tasers are an acceptable tool to use on children.
"I just want justice," Gowdy said. "Not just for mine, but for others, too."
Cincinnati Enquirer
9:24 p.m. ET Aug. 8, 2018
On Monday, a Cincinnati police officer used a Taser to stop an 11-year-old girl from leaving a grocery store after she allegedly stole snacks. Investigations have been launched and the girl's mother is calling for policy changes.
Officer Kevin Brown, 55, was working an off-duty security detail at the Spring Grove Village Kroger, police said. He was investigating a group of juvenile girls suspected of stealing from the store.
According to police officials, Brown approached one of the girls, but she ignored his commands to stop and kept walking out of the store. Brown fired his Taser at her striking her in the back.
The girl was taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. She was also charged with theft and obstructing official business. Her date in juvenile court has not yet been scheduled. She's been released into the custody of her mother, Donna Gowdy.
However, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said Wednesday the girl would not be charged criminally, adding that he supports an investigation into why a Taser was used.
"Generally with anyone under the age of 12, we want law enforcement to discuss charges with us," Deters said. "That was not done in this case."
Mayor John Cranley also weighed in, releasing a statement that reads:
Tasing an 11-year old who posed no danger to the police is wrong. I'm sorry for the harm done to her and her family. This evening I called and asked Prosecutor Deters to drop charges against the girl. I'm happy to report that he did and I thank him for doing so.
Gowdy found out what happened from some of the other kids in the neighborhood Monday night. She said she waited until about 10 p.m. until police contacted her and arranged to take her to the hospital for the family's Winton Hills apartment.
"I feel disappointed in the system," Gowdy said. "I feel hurt."
She said her daughter admitted to taking the snacks, but that police should have handled the situation differently.
"If you can't restrain these little kids, you need to find a different job," Gowdy said. "She should have never got tased."
The girl said she was with her 9-year-old sister and another friend. She didn't want to talk about what happened. She only said she felt sad. The Enquirer is not naming the girl.
Gowdy said her daughter is still complaining of back pain and has had trouble sleeping. She said police investigators came to her home Tuesday to speak with her about the incident.
"She should have never got tased," she said. "I don't understand why he did that."
She's not alone in her confusion.
"There needs to be a complete investigation," said Vice Mayor Christopher Smitherman, chairman of council's Law and Public Safety Committee. "It's hard to understand why an 11-year-old would be tased. I expect answers in 24 hours."
Chief Eliot Isaac said he was "extremely concerned" any time force is used on a child of this age. He said his department would begin a thorough review of the policies concerning the using force on juveniles.
Brown was placed on restricted duties pending an investigation into his actions.
When they are effective, Tasers fire two barbs that can embed in the skin and electrically shock a person, resulting in incapacitation.
Cincinnati police are told Tasers can be used on people, ages 7 to 70, actively resisting arrest, which in some cases includes fleeing from officers or ignore commands to stop, according to the department's procedure manual.
“An individual simply fleeing from an officer, absent additional justification,
does not warrant the use of the TASER,” the manual states. “The TASER may be deployed on a suspect actively resisting arrest when there is probable cause to arrest the suspect.”
Officers are told to weigh the severity of the crime and the risk the suspect poses to the public.
"The preferred target area is the back of the individual actively resisting arrest,” the manual states.
Last year, the Chicago Police Department revised its Taser policy, advising officers not to shock people who run away, are intoxicated or could fall and suffer a head injury.
Gowdy said her daughter went down face first into the floor when she was struck by the Taser. According to police reports, the girl is 4-feet, 11-inches tall and weighs 90 pounds.
It is unclear if the incident was caught on surveillance cameras. Police officials said Brown was wearing a body camera but did not activate the camera until after the Taser was used.
The department's policy on body cameras states officers are required to activate the devices during all law enforcement-related encounters, but also says under extenuating circumstances, using the cameras may not be possible.
Gowdy wants to know more. She questioned why Brown acted the way he did while working an off-duty detail, and why officers are told that Tasers are an acceptable tool to use on children.
"I just want justice," Gowdy said. "Not just for mine, but for others, too."
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