Handcuffing Little Kids May Not Be 'Reasonable,' Says Obama DOJ
Really? You think?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/doj-handcuff-kids-kentucky_560ec5e5e4b076812701d3be
The Justice Department on Friday got involved with a federal lawsuit against a Kentucky school resource officer who was seen keeping a third-grader with ADHD in handcuffs in a video that went viral this summer....
In a statement of interest on Friday, Justice Department lawyers said the court needs to decide whether "handcuffing two elementary school children with disabilities, behind their backs and around their biceps, for failure to follow instructions" was "objectively reasonable."
While the statement does not take a position on the merits of the particular case, it notes that the "significant size discrepancy" between the officer, "a fully grown man," and a "52-pound third-grade boy" and "56-pound fourth-grade girl" weighed against an "objective reasonableness" finding.
The Justice Department also urged the court to consider whether the officer's decision to handcuff little kids was "punitive, rather than necessary to ensure safety." It pointed out that the officer had told the child "to behave the way youre supposed to or you suffer the consequences," a statement that indicated the handcuffing was punitive.