If police and educators don’t figure out better ways to respond to children in crisis, I predict they will face similar legal actions like the lawsuit they faced in the Maryland case.

More and more police departments are being required to ensure that their officers wear body cameras. And it is inevitable that officers will have encounters with children and families in crisis.

Adults often have trouble responding in helpful ways to children with challenging behaviors.

But there are several evidence-based approaches to dealing with a child in crisis that are likely to be more effective than the heavy-handed approach taken with this boy. Examples of evidence-based approaches include assuring the child that he is safe, reassuring the child that he does not need to feel guilty or bad about any feelings or thoughts, and seeking the help of a trained professional.

In situations where a child’s behavior is aggressive or harmful, pediatric psychiatric experts recommend de-escalation techniques such as respecting personal space, avoiding provocation, setting clear limits and offering choices of possible actions.

Many school staff are trained in these methods, including through a program I developed with a colleague.

Similar training programs exist for police officers, especially those who work in schools. But most states do not require even police permanently stationed in schools to receive specialized training on how to handle youth in crisis.

In addition, there’s not much guidance on what educators should do – or whom they should call – when police respond poorly to a young person in crisis. On the one hand, an educator could have intervened, questioning the officers’ use of force and even calling for a police supervisor to consult with. But it’s also reasonable that a teacher or principal would defer to an officer of the law.

Leaving the school was definitely unsafe for the 5-year-old boy. But it was not appropriate for police to berate the boy, threaten him with handcuffs and suggest his mother beating him would take care of the problem. It was also very concerning that educators stood by and let it happen. To me, this situation raises serious questions about how professionals are responding to children in crisis – and about whether police officers are doing more harm than good in schools.

A judge presiding over the lawsuit against the officers said their behavior toward the boy “was assaultive in nature,” The Washington Post reported on September 2, 2022.

The article stated that the two officers involved had been “administratively charged with several counts, including neglect of duty and failure to be courteous.”

“They agreed to the proposed punishments,” the newspaper stated, “and the matter was closed.” The female officer was suspended for four weeks and the male officer was suspended for two weeks, according to newspaper.

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Elizabeth K. Anthony, Associate Professor of Social Work, Arizona State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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