The Sept. 3 tasing of a 17-year-old Middletown High School student by police officers has raised questions in the city regarding the Student Resource Officer (SRO) program, which assigns police officers to three Middletown schools, and the use of force on campuses. On Tuesday, the Middletown Board of Education decided to permanently remove the SRO program from all schools.

According to police reports, the student was arrested and stunned during a loud and physical disagreement with staff at lunchtime after he was caught stealing a beef patty from the school cafeteria. Middletown High School’s two SROs, Officer Scrivo and Officer Rodriguez, intervened in the argument and attempted to arrest the student, when he allegedly became combative. It was at this point that Officer Rodriguez moved to gain compliance through “drive-stunning,” a technique that is intended to cause pain but, because it does not release the Taser projectiles, does not incapacitate the target.

“For the safety of the approximately 400 students, school staff, and the SRO, a Taser was used to control the combative male student where he was then place under arrest and quickly escorted out of the building,” police said in a release.

The student was arrested as a youthful offender and charged with interfering with an officer, breach of the peace, and sixth-degree larceny, with bail set at $5,000. The student’s younger brother was also arrested after he tried to join the struggle to aid his brother.

Parents and community members raised their concerns at a town council meeting following the incident. Acting Chief of Police Patrick McMahon defended the police officers’ actions by citing the Graham v. Connor standard, which stipulates that an “objective reasonableness” standard applies to a citizen’s claim of a law enforcement official’s use of excessive force when making an arrest. There are currently no state laws prohibiting the use of Tasers on minors.

“He wasn’t Tased because he took food,” Lieutenant Heather Desmond said. “The only reason he was Tased was because he became combative with us.”

In an interview with News 8, the student denied fighting with the officers.

“I wasn’t resisting. It was just like, all over a beef patty that I had put back and then they felt I had to go to the security room. And I was like ‘I don’t need to go.’ And then the cop grabbed me. Then I said, ‘You don’t need to touch me. I’m old enough to walk by myself.’ And he just slammed me, then they Tasered me.”
Following the Board of Education’s announcement that they would remove police officers from schools, the police union continued to back its officers and defend their actions as appropriate. Parents, students, and former students, however, remain appalled by the events.

“I wouldn’t have imagined this happening at my old high school. I wish they had used other means,” said Hira Jafri ’13, a 2009 graduate of Middletown High School. “Tasing a high school student is unacceptable. I think the administration takes care of things at the school pretty well, but this was a lapse in judgment.”