Florida House unanimously passes measure after viral video of officer arresting 6-year-old girl
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - After a gripping video of a 6-year-old being hauled out of her school in handcuffs circulated last month, Florida lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday, requiring police departments to implement procedures for arresting anyone under the age of 10-years-old.
The push for changes comes after a 6-year-old student was arrested at her Orlando charter school in September 2019 after throwing a temper tantrum. The case sparked nationwide outrage and eventually led to the officer's firing.
The little girl, Kaia Rolle and her grandmother, Meralyn Kirkland traveled to Tallahassee Wednesday and watched in the gallery as lawmakers discussed the changes.
Related: Police body camera video shows arrest of 6-year-old Orlando girl
In the body camera video of Kaia's arrest, she can be heard crying as a now-fired Orlando police officer zip ties her hands behind her back.
"She's still having nightmares. She's been in therapy from that day to this. She has therapy twice a week," Kirkland said of her granddaughter after the ordeal.
Kirkland says the school was aware Kaia had sleep apnea, which can cause her to act out in class. According to the school, police were called after Kaia kicked and punched three school employees.
"It's heartbreaking because, by the time the officer got there, the little girl was pretty calm," child psychologist Dr. Wendy Rice said.
Dr. Rice believes the arrest wasn't warranted.
"Now there's an enormous consequence that can't be erased from her mind so it's hard to know whether she's already going to be afraid of authority figures," Dr. Rice said.
Wednesday, Kaia and her grandmother spoke at the Florida statehouse during a news conference with the amendment's sponsor, Rep. Kionne McGhee (D - Miami).
"Our system should not be in the business of criminalizing childhood, especially when we are dealing with 6-year-old children," McGhee said.
Under the changes, police departments would be required to have procedures in place to dictate why and how they can arrest a child under 10-years-old.