ORLANDO, Fla. – An Orlando police sergeant admitted that he couldn’t remember department policy when it came to arresting juveniles last September when a 6-year-old girl was arrested.
Kaia Rolle was put in zip-tie restraints at Lucious and Emma Nixon Academy on Sept. 19, 2019 after she had a temper tantrum that her grandmother said was the result of a lack of sleep due to a medical condition.
The arrest sparked outrage that was recently reignited when body camera video of the incident showing the child begging, pleading and sobbing came to light.
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Orlando police officials said last year that department policy requires that an officer obtain approval from a watch commander before arresting anyone under the age of 12, which didn’t happen in Kaia’s case.
Officer Dennis Turner was fired as a result of the controversial arrest.
An internal affairs investigation released Thursday shows that the sergeant on duty that day should have contacted a watch commander but never did, even as the transporting officer repeatedly expressed concern.
That sergeant never told the transporting officer not to proceed with the arrest, records show.
As a result of failing to follow department procedure, the sergeant was ordered to serve an eight-hour suspension, which he did by forfeiting personal time he had accrued.
The transporting officer was not disciplined.
After Kaia’s arrest, Orlando police changed policy to require approval to be obtained by a deputy chief before arresting a juvenile younger than 12.
The charge against Kaia has since been dropped and her record has been expunged.