Statement on Rochester Police Dept. Handcuffing 10-Year Old Child

ROCHESTER – Yesterday it was reported that a 10-year old child was handcuffed during a routine traffic stop. In response, the New York Civil Liberties Union issued the following statement from Genesee Valley Region Chapter Director Iman Abid. 

“The incident reported yesterday raises serious alarm about the practices of the Rochester Police Department and calls for an immediate investigation of why officers escalated a routine traffic stop into the handcuffing of a 10-year old child. The Rochester Police Accountability Board needs to review this case, and leaders in both law enforcement and city government must take accountability for their failure to properly train and provide oversight to police officers.  

The pattern of RPD using force on minors, and especially black youth, shows a glaring, systematic bias in the behavior of officers on the force. To have any measure of safety or justice, people of color in Rochester need to know that contact with law enforcement officers won’t lead to harm or danger. But the signal is sent time and again that police will escalate situations and use force without adequate oversight, review, or repercussions. Just last week a judge stripped the police accountability board of its disciplinary powers, and this week a child was placed in handcuffs. We need answers, accountability, and change now.”