MIAMI - Miami-Dade County police are reviewing their policy on Taser stun gun use after officers shocked a 6-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl, sparking public outrage.
Police director Bobby Parker on Friday defended the use of the 50,000-volt gun on the boy in a school office, saying the child had cut himself with a shard of glass and was threatening to harm himself further.
But he said the use of the stun gun on the girl, who was fleeing officers because she was allegedly drunk and skipping school, was questionable.
"We think the officer made a decision to utilize the Taser in a situation which is outside the policy of the department and procedures established by us," Parker said. The officer could be disciplined.
Stun gun use is allowed if the situation goes from "passive to aggressive behavior in either an in-custody situation or situation where a person is facing arrest," Parker said.
Until the review is complete, officers will be allowed to keep using the stun guns, he said.
Arizona-based Taser International said its stun guns are safe to use "to subdue violent individuals," but it issues no guidelines about minimum size or age of the person it is used on.
The boy was treated and then hospitalized for psychiatric observation for five days after the Oct. 20 incident. The girl was checked by a doctor after she was zapped Nov. 5.
Within the school community, "it has caught people's attention because Tasers are a new law enforcement device and ... this is a 6-year-old first-grader involved. There is a disconnect," said Joseph Garcia, spokesman for the school system, which is also investigating the incident.
