Officer suspended after arrests of children, 6 and 8

An Orlando, Florida, police officer is under investigation after he arrested two children, ages 6 and 8, in separate episodes at a school Thursday, police said.

The officer, Dennis Turner, has been suspended pending the outcome of an internal investigation, Orlando Rolón, the police chief, said in a statement.

Turner was working as a school resource officer at a charter school when he arrested the children, Rolón said.

Turner was assigned to the Reserve Officer Program. Details of the program were unavailable, but The Orlando Sentinel reported that it is made up of retired Orlando Police Department officers.

Departmental policy requires officers to get a supervisor’s approval when arresting anyone under the age of 12.

During the arrest of the 8-year-old, the transporting officer was unaware that Turner had failed to get a supervisor’s approval, the chief said.

The child was processed through the Juvenile Assessment Center and released to a family member shortly after, Rolón said.

The gender of the child and what had led to the arrest were not disclosed. Police did not release the children’s names.

The officer who transported the 6-year-old to the center verified that Turner had not received approval for the arrest and immediately halted the process. According to Rolón, the child was returned to school before being processed.

“As a grandparent of three children less than 11 years old, this is very concerning to me,” he said.

Meralyn Kirkland, the grandmother of the 6-yearold, told WKMG-TV, that her granddaughter Kaia had been arrested after having a tantrum at the charter school, Lucious and Emma Nixon Academy.

Kirkland said she had received a call informing her that Kaia had kicked a staff member at school, had been charged with battery and was on her way to the Juvenile Assessment Center.