“If she were bigger, she would’ve been wearing regular handcuffs.” These are the words of Officer Dennis Turner.
And who is the former Orlando police officer talking about? Who is this dangerous criminal too small to wear cuffs? The ‘criminal’ is Kaia Rolle – and she’s six. On September 19th, 2019, the six-year-old was put in zip ties and thrown in the back of a police car. (1)
What Is Kaia Charged With?
The charges have been dropped – but it’s a little more complicated than that. Little Kaia was arrested for allegedly hitting and kicking three teachers. The crime is a misdemeanor battery. Although no one supports hitting teachers, it cannot be overstated that Kaia Rolle is only six years old. Who among us didn’t have to be told, growing up, that hitting wasn’t the way to solve our problems? There’s a whole host of childrens books on the subject. Most notably ‘Hands Are Not for Hitting’ and ‘Feet Are Not for Kicking.’ Meralyn Kirkland, Kaia’s grandmother, also says that the girl suffers from sleep apnea.
If you’re not familiar with sleep apnea, it is a “potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Sleep apnea’s most common–and benign–effect is a feeling of being constantly tired, even after a night of ‘normal’ sleep. A chronically sleep-deprived six-year-old acting out? Frustrating for everyone – but not time for zip ties. (2, 3)
Why Would Anyone Charge Her?
That’s a subject of controversy. Turner’s police report says that one of the staff members who was struck wanted her arrested and was ready to testify against her. But both the staff member names and the representative for the school denied these statements were ever made. And, in fact, deny wanting the child arrested at all.
The Orlando police department fired Officer Turner a week after the terrible arrest. Police Chief Orlando Rolon (who, yes, is police chief of Orlando, Florida) apologized for former Officer Turner’s disgraceful conduct. In a statement from the department itself, Rolon says the department will ensure this will never happen again.
The State Attorney, Aramis Ayala, will not be bringing this to court. (1)
The Aftereffects
Unfortunately, Kaia’s story doesn’t have a happy ending at this point. “She’s been in therapy from that day until this. She has therapy twice a week. We couldn’t get her into another public school because she had meltdowns,” says Kirkland. She mentions they have had to work to be able to afford the private school that Kaia now needs.
As a result of Kaia’s suffering, House Democrats have taken steps to prevent this from happening again in the entire United States. Kionne McGhee, House Minority Leader, championed the Kaia Rolle Act, attached to a school safety bill. The House unanimously passed the bill.
The Kaia Rolle Act “requires law enforcement in schools to have a procedure in place for police and sheriff’s departments when they are interacting with kids 10 years of age or younger regarding criminal matters,” says McGhee. (2)
While this act comes too late to spare Kaia the pain and humiliation of that September day, hopefully it can prevent the same from happening to other children.
