Police supervise spanking, and story is creating a heated debate on corporal punishment. A father by the name of Dale Garcia, called Deputy Noel Stephen from the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office in Florida in late December to supervise the spanking of his 12-year-old daughter, who had fought with her sister.
The headline “police supervise spanking of 12-year-old girl in Florida” has gone viral. On December 29th, a man by the name of Dale Garcia, watched his daughters get into a very heated argument.
The pair later fought, and when deemed that only one of his children was at fault, he decided to punish her with a paddle. Aware that parents often get in trouble for using any form of physical punishment on their children, Mr Garcia decided to call the police to ask them to supervise the spanking.
Deputy Noel Stephen, who is a member of the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office, arrived at the home where he confirmed to the father that it is legal to spank his daughter.
After getting the green light from the police, Garcia proceeded to spank his daughter four times on the derriere with the paddle. Here is what the police officer had to say after witnessing the corporal punishment:
“(He) wanted me to stand by while he spanked her with the paddle. … I stood by as (he) spanked (her) 4 times on her buttocks. Since no crime had been committed this case is closed.”
After watching the father discipline his daughter, he concluded that that there was no crime, and left the home. Believe it or not, this is not the first time Noel Stephen has been called to supervise the spanking of a child; he has done it at least 12 times in the past. The deputy said:
“I’m starting my 28th year here, and that’s been the 12th time I’ve heard of it during my career.”
According to Stephen, officers must make sure that the spanking is not too severe. He shared:
“Officers use their professional and personal judgment to determine if it’s adequate or not based on the circumstances.”
He went on to add:
“It’s definitely not something we advertise to do, and even though law enforcement has been willing to help out in this situation, watching a parent discipline their child is something that’s done only when a deputy has no other calls to handle.”
Police supervise spanking, the story has parents all over America talking, and passionately explaining, why they are for or against this kind of method for punishment.
