An 11-year-old Grand Rapids girl's tearful arrest caught on camera has prompted officials to re-evaluate how police handle and interact with young people.
On Dec. 6, 2017, 11-year-old Honestie Hodges handcuffed at gunpoint and placed into a police cruiser while police were looking for an attempted murder suspect.
A complaint was filed against the agency, and GRPD opened an internal investigation on the incident after body camera footage raised concerns within the community. Leaders with the Greater Grand Rapids Branch of the NAACP said that during her arrest officers used excessive force.
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The police department determined officers followed their training -- only having cuffed Honestie for two minutes and holding her in a police cruiser for about ten minutes -- GRPD worked with the community, NAACP, Honestie's family and the city's Police Policy and Procedure Review Task Force to create the Youth Interactions Policy, paving a way officers to better interact with young individuals and be held accountable. That policy is nicknamed the Honestie policy, after Honestie Hodges.
On Tuesday, March 27, GRPD and the Task Force released the details of the Honestie policy. The policy codifies the department's expectation that officers use good judgment and act in the best interest of the youth -- as well as best practices used by police departments across the country.
Prior to implementing this adopted policy, GRPD did not have a freestanding youth policy.
You can read the entire Youth Interactions Policy here, and it can also be found on the Grand Rapids Police Policy and Procedure Review Task Force webpage.
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April Stevens is a multi-platform producer at WZZM 13. Have a news tip? Email news@wzzm13.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.