Cincinnati's police union president called the outrage to an 11-year-old being stunned by a Taser a "knee-jerk" reaction. The Mayor and others disagree.
On Monday, a Cincinnati police officer used a Taser to stop an 11-year-old Winton Hills girl accused of stealing food from Kroger store.
Police said the girl ignored the officer's commands to stop and when she kept walking away, Officer Kevin Brown deployed the stunning device.
The reaction on Wednesday after the news broke was swift.
Police Chief Eliot Isaac said an investigation had been launched and Brown was put on restricted duties. Prosecutor Joe Deters said the girl would face not face charges despite police initially charging her with theft and obstructing official business.
Cranley issued a statement Wednesday night apologizing to the girl and her family.
“Tasing an 11-year old who posed no danger to the police is wrong. I’m sorry for the harm to her and her family," Cranley said. "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 for him doing so.”
The Cincinnati branch of the NAACP said the officer used "extremely poor judgment" and called for an overhaul of the Taser policy.
Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld took to Twitter to decry the action of the officer: "An 11-year-old child who poses no serious threat to people's safety should NEVER be tased. Period."
Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police President Dan Hils had a different take saying the outrage from some elected officials is just a "knee-jerk" reaction.
"What if the officer grabbed this suspect, she resists, they fall to the ground and she is injured?" Hils asked on Facebook. "What would happen then? I can answer that; Kroger gets sued, the City gets sued and eventually Kroger’s in the city goes goodbye."
Hils urged policymakers to allow the investigation to occur.
Mass Action for Black Liberation, formerly known as Black Lives Matter: Cincinnati, has called for a change to the Taser policy and for the officer to be fired and charged with excessive use of force.
"This is the latest instance of a long history of the police demonstrating their callousness and lack of humanity toward our most vulnerable citizens," the activist group posted on Facebook. "Under no circumstances should police have the authority to use this kind of force when presented with no threat of violence, let alone when the person in question has not even reached adolescence."
Thursday morning, activist Shaun King took to Twitter tagging Mayor John Cranley, Isaac and Kroger.
"My blood is boiling. A @CincyPD officer tasered an 11-year-old girl in the back after she walked out of a grocery store with a snack. This would NEVER happen to an 11-year-old WHITE girl. Never," King said. "This cop should be fired immediately."
In a post directed toward Cranley, King wrote: "This girl was 4,11" and weighed 90 pounds. She's in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. How dare you not handle this immediately."
The Cincinnati Police Department is investigating the incident and reviewing the Taser policy.
Police have said Officer Brown did not activate his body camera prior to his use of the Taser and no other video appears to exist of the incident. Brown's camera was turned on after the Taser was deployed, officials said. That footage has not yet been released.
