A little more than a week after the city of Rochester, New York, launched a program to de-escalate police interventions with residents suffering from mental health issues, it failed the first big test. A 9-year-old girl who police say family told them may harm herself or others was handcuffed, pepper-sprayed and manhandled by officers instead of receiving aid from mental health professionals.
Although the Person In Crisis Team hasn’t been in action for long, the guidelines were set up late last year. What perplexes many is why this new tool wasn’t utilized during an incident that seemed to be tailor-made for it. Mental health professionals and civil rights advocates throughout the city are outraged.
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Rochester officials pledge to release more footage of officers who pepper-sprayed 9-year-old girl Tim Craig, Kimberly Kindy Officials in Rochester, N.Y., said Tuesday that they expect to release additional police body camera footage involving the officers who handcuffed and pepper-sprayed a 9-year-old girl, a case that is sparking outrage over how law enforcement agencies respond to people who might be having an emotional or mental health episode. Two videos of the incident were released over the weekend, followed by the suspension of three officers. City spokesman Justin Roj said police officials are in custody of other footage that it hopes to release in the “coming days.”
Rochester pledges to release more footage of incident with girl
Tim Craig and Kimberly Kindy, The Washington Post
Feb. 2, 2021
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Officials in Rochester, N.Y., said Tuesday that they expect to release additional police body camera footage involving the officers who handcuffed and pepper-sprayed a 9-year-old girl, a case that is sparking outrage over how law enforcement agencies respond to people who might be having an emotional or mental health episode.
Two videos of the incident were released over the weekend, followed by the suspension of three officers. City spokesman Justin Roj said police officials are in custody of other footage that it hopes to release in the coming days.