‘She’s A Child’; Why Rochester Police Pepper-Sprayed A 9-Year-Old Girl

Upstate New York-area police are defending their actions to use pepper spray on a 9-year-old girl, saying she was threatening to harm herself and others during a family dispute.

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren expressed outrage after body-cam video showed a member of the Rochester Police Department using pepper spray on the young girl while she was handcuffed in the back of a police car.

“I have a 10-year-old child, so she’s a child, she’s a baby," Warren was quoted by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle as saying. "This video, as a mother, is not anything you want to see.”

Officers were responding to reports of “family trouble” last week, and the incident is captured on body-cam footage. Officers in the video are seen trying to restrain the young girl while she shouts for help from her father.

The details leading up to the events are unclear as the video was edited by police. Deputy Police Chief Andre Anderson said the girl was threatening to cause harm to herself and her mother before the event.

Mike Mazzeo, a president for the local police union, was quoted as saying he understood the outrage, but suggested it was an unfortunate part of the job of cops on the beat.

"I'm not saying there are not better ways to do things," he told the newspaper. "But let's be realistic about what we're facing. ... It's not TV, it's not Hollywood. We don't have a simple (situation), where we can put out our hands and have somebody be instantly handcuffed and comply."

The girl can be seen kicking an officer as they work to restrain her. She was also handcuffed “for the minor’s safety and at the request of the custodial parent on scene,” police stated.

The city’s mayor said authorities are investigating the situation. None of the officers involved have named pending the outcome of the investigation.

Meanwhile, Warren put the emphasis on the need to address family issues involving children with extreme care.

"We have to understand compassion, empathy,” she was quoted by CNN as saying. "When you have a child that is suffering in this way, and calling out for her dad, I saw my baby's face in her face."