Deputies criticized for handcuffing 11-year-old Black girl on upstate New York sidewalk
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A widely seen video of an 11-year-old girl handcuffed and crying on a snowy sidewalk has sparked criticism of an upstate New York sheriff’s office, which has changed its policy on detaining children during criminal investigations.
Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office deputies were searching for a girl seen in a stolen car in Syracuse on Monday when they stopped the 11-year-old black girl, who was wearing similar clothing and was spotted six blocks away. The girl was handcuffed for about seven minutes before police determined she was not the person they were looking for, the department said.
“Following the arrest, officers diligently attempted to quickly compare the juvenile to video evidence obtained via a dashcam,” police said in a news release late Tuesday. “Upon that comparison, it was clear that the detained minor was not the suspect we were looking for, and she was immediately released.”
Video taken by a person at the scene shows the girl standing in a pink jacket with her hands handcuffed behind her back as two officers hold her down. The girl’s friends try to convince the officers that they have the wrong person. The girl cries when she is released.
An organizer with the New York Civil Liberties Union criticized officers for handcuffing “a scared child.”
“This abuse raises serious concerns about implicit racial bias, which too often leads law enforcement to view children of color as a threat,” NYCLU senior organizer Victoria Coit said in a prepared statement.
Sheriff Toby Shelley met with the girl’s mother to hear her concerns. He agreed that from now on it will be the department’s policy to notify a parent or guardian when juveniles are detained in criminal investigations. According to the department, parents previously only reported when an arrest occurred.
According to the sheriff’s office, detainees, even juveniles, are routinely handcuffed to prevent them from fleeing, fighting or destroying evidence.