Police officers receive no punishment for handcuffing 5-year-old girl.

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Author: Cassandra, Amanda1

Florida police have decided not to discipline the three officers who handcuffed a 5-year-old kindergartner after she threw a tantrum in the classroom.

Civil rights leaders, including the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, are expressing outrage, saying that the decision not to discipline the officers was unjust.

And while St. Petersburg Police Chief Chuck Harmon said that police acted prematurely, he added that they did not violate policy. In response, Jackson said that he wonders why Harmon felt the need to announce a new department policy that "calls for no children to be handcuffed unless they are armed or considered dangerous," if police protocol was not violated.

"Justice requires deterrence to criminal behavior. This act cheapens the lives of children, citizens of color, and weakens the moral authority of the police," Jackson said. "Ultimately, good police work leads by credibility with the hearts and minds of the people and not with a gun and arbitrary justice,"

The arrest of Ja'eisha Scott was caught on videotape and broadcast across the country.

Jackson vowed that the St. Petersburg community would continue to seek justice to ensure that police do not use excessive force against children in the future.

"We urge Chief Harmon to take the courageous stand that is necessary to heal a wound in the community," Jackson said.

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By Amanda Cassandra, Special to the AmNews