There are many people out there who deserve to have their records cleared. This is especially true for minors who don’t understand the gravity of their actions and haven’t had a shot at life with a clean slate. When you picture a “minor” in this type of situation, you probably imagine a 16-year-old who got caught doing something stupid—not a six-year-old.
Two Orlando children were handcuffed and arrested last month at a charter school by a police officer after having a “tantrum.” One little girl was even fingerprinted by the officer and had her mugshot taken. You’re probably thinking “How can this be legal?” It’s not. Even before this incident, OPD had a policy stating you need to get permission from a watch commander before taking someone into custody who is under 12 years of age. And now, after the occurrence sparked national outrage, these officers are required to get approval from a deputy chief.
Fortunately, Chief Rolan of OPD is requesting FDLE for an administrative expunction of any of the charges brought against the six-year-old girl to make amends.
This is why expunctions are important—the criminal justice system isn’t perfect, and oversight is common. Officers don’t always act in compliance with the law and once something is in the system, it’s hard to remove. If it weren’t for the ability to clear records, these kids would have a blot on their records forever, with no context on how the officer acted out of bounds with the state’s laws regarding arresting minors. Expunctions provide a clean slate so that citizens can move on from an undesirable instance and still have a fighting chance for a successful life.
For more information on criminal record clearing, visit EasyExpunctions.com or give us a call at 1-866-899-0266.
