“Florida Man” in Uniform: Was Fired Cop’s Arrest of 6 Year Old Justified?

Outrage over two arrests on 6-year-old children last week has resulted in a Florida police officer being fired.

“At my level, I have the opportunity to be able to exercise that and when I came in today, I knew there was no choice here. He was going to be terminated,” Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolón said, announcing the termination of officer Dennis Turner.

Turner had failed to abide by a department policy, stating that approval must be obtained by officers before arresting a child under 12 years of age, when he arrested 6-year-old Kaia Rolle at the Lucious and Emma Nixon Academy elementary school. Meralyn Kirkland, the child’s grandmother, said she had been arrested for kicking someone after throwing a tantrum.

Turner’s actions of fingerprinting Rolle and charging her with battery outraged a supervisor who became aware of the situation – that’s when the girl was returned to school and the arrest halted.

On the same day Turner had also arrested a 6-year-old boy, later released to a relative after a process at the Juvenile Detention Center.