Police Department Defends Cops Who Handcuffed 11-Year-Old in the Snow
January 16, 2025
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A New York sheriff’s office said the detaining of an 11-year-old Black girl who was mistaken for a stolen vehicle suspect was “lawful and reasonable.”
The child was placed in handcuffs by Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office deputies on Monday in an encounter caught on video and posted by multiple local news outlets.
The Context
The New York Civil Liberties Union condemned the detention. Senior Organizer Victoria Coit said in a statement that the organization was “extremely disturbed” by the incident.
“This mistreatment raises serious concerns about implicit racial bias, which too often leads law enforcement officers to perceive children of color as a threat. It also raises questions about appropriate training and protocols in the Sheriff’s office,” Coit said.
File photo of a police cruiser. A child was mistakenly placed in handcuffs by Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office deputies on January 13. File photo of a police cruiser. A child was mistakenly placed in handcuffs by Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office deputies on January 13. bmcent1/Getty Images
What To Know
The sheriff’s office said it located a stolen gray Kia in Syracuse on Monday. The vehicle sped away after officials attempted to initiate a traffic stop.
The vehicle later came to a stop, and four people fled on foot.
Officials said they located a female who matched the description of one person inside the car wearing similar clothing. The girl was around 1,800 feet from where the vehicle came to a stop.
The sheriff’s office said the child was handcuffed for less than seven minutes.
“We got 12-year-olds driving these Kias and Hyundais,” one deputy said in the video of the incident recorded by the girl’s cousin. The children tell the deputies that they have the wrong suspect. The 11-year-old girl can be heard crying in the video.
Onondaga County Sheriff Toby Shelley met with the child’s mother on Tuesday, according to Syracuse news station WSTM.
“The conversation was productive, and the Sheriff understood the mother’s concerns about why the police didn’t inform her that her daughter was detained as part of a criminal investigation,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release.
The sheriff’s office said detainees are typically handcuffed because they may become uncooperative, decide to flee or try to fight officials.
“Handcuffing juveniles in this circumstance is lawful, within policy, and common practice in law enforcement,” the sheriff’s office said.
What People Are Saying
Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, in a press release: “In reviewing the incident, the detainment of the juvenile was lawful and reasonable, given the juvenile’s proximity and clothing description. Upon detainment, deputies diligently tried to quickly compare the juvenile with video evidence obtained via dashcam. In that comparison, it was clear that the detained juvenile was not the suspect we were seeking, and she was immediately released.”
What Happens Next
The sheriff’s office said it is updating its policy to notify parents or guardians of juveniles when they are detained for criminal investigative purposes. Under the previous policy, officials only notified parents or guardians after an arrest.
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