Silke Jasso
A police officer’s body camera shows a 6-year-old girl from Florida crying and begging officers not to arrest her, as an officer fastens zip ties around her wrist while at school. The video was shared by Kaia Rolle’s family, which shows the girl being detained back in September for punching and kicking staff members at her Orlando Charter school. In the video, Kaia is heard saying, “What are those for?” referring to the zip ties in the officer’s hands.
Videos by Rare
Orlando Police officer Dennis Turner is then heard saying, “They’re for you,” before the other office tightens them around her wrist and the 6-year-old begins to cry. As she is being walked away to the police car, she desperately pleas, yelling “Help me. Help me, please, I don’t want to go in a police car.”
The second officer, who has yet to be identified, responds, “You don’t want to? You have to.” While Kaia urges for a second chance. He then lifts the sobbing girl into the back seat of the police vehicle and puts a seat belt around her. A few moments later, the video shows Turner returning to the office to talk to administrators from Lucious & Emma Nixon Academy, who appear to me in shock by what they witness in the school office.
That’s when Turner tells them that the juvenile detention center where the girl was headed to is “not like you think,” bragging he has made more than 6,000 arrests, including a 7-year-old. The boy was caught stealing at Albertson and was arrested because he “thought it was a joke” while other children had started crying. When administrators tell him Kaia is actually 6, not, 8, replies, “now she has broken the record.”
The first-grader had reportedly had a tantrum earlier in the day where she had punched and kicked three school employees, leading to her arrest on a charge of misdemeanor battery. However, officials did note that when officers approached Kai to detain, cuff, and arrest her, she had calmed down, as shown in the video. Kaia was processed at the county Juvenile Assessment Center, where her fingerprints and mugshots were taken. She reportedly had to use a step stool so she could reach the camera for her mugshot. The Florida girl has since re-enrolled into a private school, refusing to attend a school with an office on campus.
You’re telling me this was the best way to handle an unruly child?! Disgusting. https://t.co/b4SF8ybDnQ
— DogMom (@brendelalison) February 25, 2020
Turner was fired shortly after the arrest. According to Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolon, Turner did not follow department policy of getting the approval of a watch commander to arrest someone younger than the age of 12. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time the officer arrested someone under 7. Officers stated Turner also arrested a 6-year-old at another school that same day as Kaia’s arrest for misdemeanor battery in an unrelated incident. However, the boy’s arrest was hailed by superiors before the boy made it through the full arrest process. State Attorney Aramis Ayala later stated she was dismissing the misdemeanor battery charges against both children.
Turner had worked with the OLD’ for 23 years where he was disciplined seven times for violations of department policy. According to the Orlando Sentinel, these ranged from unsafe driving to a “child-abuse arrest in which he was accused of injuring his 7-year-old son.” He was also accused of racial profile and sending threatening text messages to his ex-wife back in 2009.
