When common sense fails police, a new policing guideline will force Washington, D.C., cops to stop handcuffing children who are 12 years old or younger in situations that aren’t dangerous, according to a Metropolitan Police Department news release. Police began working with the D.C. attorney general’s office in April, when an officer was caught on video chasing and handcuffing a 9-year-old boy for what proved to be no reason, according to The Washington Post.
Just weeks earlier, police had handcuffed and accused a 10-year-old boy of robbery in an incident D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine said the child was "totally innocent" in. “In the court of public opinion this innocent 10-year-old was deemed guilty and criminalized. . . . We owe it to the young victim of this crime to hold the people who hurt him accountable,” Racine said in a statement to the Post. “We also owe it to the 10-year-old who was incorrectly identified as an armed robber to set the record straight.”
In the release announcing the policy changes, Racine said that they are part of a “comprehensive review of proven practices” addressing the unique needs of children. “When police can use interactions with young people as an opportunity to establish trust and help kids stay on the right path, everyone benefits,” he said. The new policy would still give officers discretion in handcuffing children between the ages of 13 and 17 years old “based on the severity of the offense and circumstances of the interaction,” according to the news release.
“Each interaction with a juvenile is an opportunity to strengthen community relationships while protecting our youth,” said police chief Peter Newsham in a statement. “The nature and circumstances of contacts with police can have a lasting impression on a young person. The policy enhancements are a reminder to our members to always treat individuals, regardless of their age, safely, respectfully, and with the best possible service.” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said she hopes the new policy for children will improve relations between police and the community, according to The Washington Post.
“They’re different,” the mayor said. “They’re not just little adults. They’re developmentally different, and we want to put them in the right lane to get them the help that they need, divert them from the system if possible, so we are not seeing them when they are older and involved in much more serious crime.”