Officer reportedly uses Taser on 11-year-old accused of shoplifting from Kroger
SPRING GROVE VILLAGE, Ohio (WKRC) - An incident involving a Cincinnati police officer using a Taser on an 11-year-old girl is under investigation.
This happened Monday at the Kroger on Kenard Avenue in Spring Grove Village. Cincinnati Police say the officer involved was working a detail and was investigating a group of girls who were allegedly shoplifting from the store.
Police said the officer approached one girl who ignored the officer and walked away, ignoring commands to stop. The officer then deployed the Taser and struck the girl in the back. She was placed into custody and charged with theft and obstructing official business.
The girl was then taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital for evaluation and was released into a guardian's custody. She will appear in Hamilton County Juvenile Court at a later date.
Police Chief Eliot Isaac said in a statement Tuesday:
We are extremely concerned when force is used by one of our officers on a child of this age. As a result we will be taking a very thorough review of our policies as it relates to using force on juveniles as well as the propriety of the officers actions.
The officer involved has been put on restricted duty pending the outcome of the investigation.
Vice Mayor Christopher Smitherman who chairs the Law and Public Safety Committee told Cincinnati Police he wants answers Wednesday, including any surveillance video from the store or the officer's body camera. Smitherman says he's troubled when any child is tased.
