Arizona: Soft Handcuffs to be used on school kids

Soft restraints to be used on kids



Josh Kelley The Arizona Republic Jan. 28, 2006 12:00 AM

A deputy used handcuffs last month to prevent a distraught third-grader at a school in Maricopa from hurting himself or others.

Now Pinal County Sheriff Chris Vasquez says he will equip all deputies who work in Maricopa with soft restraints to use instead of handcuffsto control unruly children.

Because soft restraints are made of spongy material that generally does not cause pain or leave marks, they are ideal for use on children, the mentally ill and even suicidal people, Vasquez said. advertisement

"It is kind of traumatic having handcuffs put on," said Vasquez, who pointed out that hospitals use soft restraints to protect combative patients.

Outside of Maricopa, Vasquez said he will give soft restraints to about 15 additional deputies patrolling throughout Pinal County, so that when needed, at least one person on a squad of deputies will have restraints that could be brought to a location for use instead of handcuffs.

The concern over handcuffs was prompted by an incident on Dec. 14 at Santa Rosa Elementary School in Maricopa where the principal reported to authorities an 8-year-old third grader described as "out of control and threatening other children in his class," according to a Sheriff's Office report on the incident.

When two deputies, one of them a sergeant, arrived at the school, they found a teacher trying to restrain the boy, who "appeared to be very upset and distraught by flailing his arms and attempting to kick his legs towards" the teacher, the report says.

The sergeant took control of the boy and sat him in a chair in a "time out" room, but the boy began to slam his body and head against the wall, the sergeant reported. The sergeant handcuffed the boy twice before eventually putting the handcuffs above his elbows to keep from slipping out, the report says.

The boy's mother said her son had been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, a disorder characterized by deficient social skills and developmental problems but not a lack of intelligence.

Although she would not comment on the incident last month, Alma Farrell, superintendent of the Maricopa Unified School District, said a large percentage of students who lose control and become violent are those with special needs.

But, Farrell said, students without special needs can cause problems, too.

Sometimes, the use of force by school staff is necessary to control such students, Farrell said. The Sheriff's Office is called if the situation poses a danger to the combative student, other students or the person attempting to control the child.

The sheriff assigns two deputies to Maricopa schools.