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Powell Resigns as Secretary of State; Police Under Fire for Using Taser on Children
Aired November 15, 2004 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Live pictures from Foggy Bottom. The secretary of state due in this room shortly to talk about his imminent departure. It's all part of a second term shuffle. Secretary of State Colin Powell headlining the list.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sniper rounds start just above my left eyebrow. It's nothing too serious. I guess it cracked my skull.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: Wounded in war but ready to go back. Marines wounded in the fight for Falluja on what the battle is like.
O'BRIEN: A Taser controversy. Police used stun guns on a 12- year-old and a 6-year-old. Did they go too far?
PHILLIPS: Rating the restraints. If you think you're protected from neck injury in your car, well, chances are you're wrong.
From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips.
O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
It's quitting time, and the Bush administration, with four more years on the horizon, four more cabinet secretaries decide, or perhaps are persuaded, that one term for them is enough.
Topping the list of resignations announced this morning, Secretary of State Colin Powell, a figure whose future has been the subject of speculation almost since he took office.
Here is the word from the White House moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Secretary Powell made a decision, for his own reasons, that this was now the time to leave, and I think if you want further explanation, you can direct those questions to him. But this discussion they've had for some time, and I think it was known.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did Powell offer to stay on?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: To say the least. CNN's Andrea Koppel has covered Powell from day one. She joins us now from the State Department, intimately familiar with all the discussion that's been going on.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, I understand Secretary Powell has just walked into the briefing room. So I guess we're going to listen in to that.
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: It has been my great honor and privilege to have been once again given the opportunity to serve our nation, and I will always treasure the four years that I've spent with President Bush and with the wonderful men and women of the Department of State.
(LIVE EVENT: COLIN POWELL PRESS CONFERENCE)
POWELL: ... It's been a privilege for me to have been given the opportunity to lead them for these last four years. I will lead them up until the day I depart. Thank you.
KOPPEL: We've been listening to secretary of state Colin Powell giving a farewell, of sorts, here at the State Department. He's not leaving now, but his intention is to serve until the president has named who his successor will be, and after that person has been confirmed by the new Congress, or presumably as Secretary Powell indicated, we're talking about several weeks, maybe a couple of months, perhaps after the president is inaugurated for his second term.
But I can tell you, over the last almost four years that Secretary Powell has been here, he came as close to being a rock star as you get in the diplomat world.
Right where I'm standing right now four years ago in January of 2001, this place was packed with standing room only people applauding him because he was a man who had so much charisma and so -- his resume is a mile long, everything from deputy national security adviser, national security adviser, to chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.
There was tremendous optimism four years ago about what Secretary Powell's inclusion in the president's cabinet would mean for Bush foreign policy.
Having said that, now fast-forward four years. There are mixed feelings about what Secretary Powell's record will look like in the history books, Miles. And I can tell you that there are very few successes, tangible successes that the secretary can point to. Certainly the war in Iraq is -- was one of the low points -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: You could nominate for one of the great understatements of the year when he said we've had some differences with our European nations over Iraq.
Clearly, whoever succeeds him has the role doing some reparations, or maybe not, depending on their philosophy in the matter. But there's a lot of damage done there, isn't there?
KOPPEL: There absolutely is. And I think that we need to wait and see who Secretary Powell's successor will be. That will be telling in and of itself.
Chances are, and certainly, early indications are that it could be someone like the current national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, who is someone is known for her expertise in Russia, but not necessarily known as somebody who is going to fight the president or fight Secretary Rumsfeld over at Pentagon or for that matter, Vice President Cheney.
Secretary Powell was known for the one who was butting heads and really trying to push in certain instances a different agenda. So I think that it is not necessarily the case that whoever succeeds Secretary Powell is going to be out there glad handing and trying to make nice with the allies.
O'BRIEN: All right. I assume I'm not the first to do this on the air today, but I presume the discussion about his potential presidential aspirations begin this moment.
KOPPEL: Well, you could say they begin and end at this moment, because Secretary Powell has said over and over again, over the last number of years, that he has no interest in running for president.
He certainly could have -- I do actually. I do. And I think that the reasons are quite personal, that he has served four -- four decades in the military. He's served, as we just outlined over in the White House, the Pentagon, and now here at state. And that for personal reasons he would prefer not to.
That's not to say that there aren't a lot of Republicans out there who wouldn't like him to be the candidate in '08. But I don't think that we're going to see Secretary Powell -- could be wrong, but I don't think we're going to see him throw his hat in the ring.
O'BRIEN: All right. We're going to save this tape, Andrea Koppel, hopefully to bear you out as being a prescient correspondent, as always. Thanks for your time. Appreciate it -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: As America's top diplomat, Colin Powell may be remembered for the same traits that also make him America's top soldier: brains, charisma, determination and loyalty no matter what.
We get the view from abroad from CNN editor Robin Oakley in London.
Robin, why don't we start with what Jack Straw had to say.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Indeed. Jack Straw, the U.K. foreign secretary, Colin Powell's equivalent, as it were, in the U.K. gave him a tribute of remarkable warmth and affection really, Kyra.
He said that Colin Powell had made the transition from being the world's leading military man to a leading statesman and diplomat. He also made it quite clear that he's not ready to say goodbye to him yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK STRAW, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: Colin has got great energy. He's a man of the utmost integrity. He is huge fun. And I look forward to continue to work with him for the next two months and to remain in close contact with him whether he finally relinquishes his office as secretary of state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OAKLEY: Jack Straw said Colin Powell had been a tireless worker for peace. And he gave him credit for bringing the allies together over Afghanistan and for persuading President George Bush to embrace the two state solution for Israel and Palestine, working towards Middle East peace -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So, Robin, when you look at the relationship between Tony Blair and President Bush and the Britain/U.S. relationship, did Colin Powell help bridge that, or have Bush and Blair pretty much built this relationship on their own?
OAKLEY: Well, I think, yes. Britain is a special case, because there is such a strong relationship between Tony Blair and George Bush, and they've been through so much together. They do work very closely together.
But at the same time, Colin Powell and Jack Straw have worked absolutely hand in hand. They describe themselves as the two desk officers in the run-up to the Iraq war, with Jack Straw phoning Colin Powell almost daily at moments of crisis. One day particularly from a very rainy day working in his constituency. So there has been a closeness there.
Colin Powell's importance, perhaps, is more across the rest of Europe, where some people will be looking very nervously to see who replaces him. Because the other European leaders, people like Chancellor Schroeder in Germany, President Chirac in France, did at least feel that Colin Powell was a member of the U.S. administration who listened to them. He may not always have been able to give them the results they wanted, but they did feel that he listened to them.
What they don't want is to see him replaced by somebody of the ilk of Donald Rumsfeld, the defense secretary, who came to Europe and lectured them and tried to play divide and rule, dividing them into old Europe, France and Germany on one side, and new Europe, the former Soviet Union countries who have only recently joined the European Union -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: CNN European political editor Robin Oakley. Thank you so much.
And three other cabinet departures were announced and/or confirmed today, those of Education Secretary Rod Paige, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman.
So who's left? This is the -- highly subject to change, of course. But for now, Interior Secretary Gale Norton, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta, Health Secretary Tommy Thompson and Treasury Secretary John Snow. Also, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi, and HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson.
O'BRIEN: Should the man who shot President Reagan have a little more freedom? Ahead, the latest on hearings for John Hinckley.
And later on LIVE FROM, taking ownership of your health. How could the Bush administration's prescription for health care affect you?
ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: News across America now.
Closing arguments under way in a hearing to determine whether John Hinckley should have a little more freedom. The man who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan asking for extended visits to his parents' home. Hinckley's therapist says he no longer poses a danger to himself or others. Government attorneys think otherwise.
In Los Angeles, jury selection begins in the Robert Blake murder trial. Attorneys hand selecting jurors from a pool of about 100. Blake is charged with killing his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, 3 1/2 years ago now.
Security tightening at three U.S. Border crossings: a pilot program under way at crossings in Texas, Arizona and Canada. Suspicious visitors to be fingerprinted, photographed and possibly subjected to background checks. If it works, it could be in place at all border crossings next year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS (voice-over): Next, on LIVE FROM...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like I couldn't breathe. I was nervous and scared at the same time.
PHILLIPS: ... Taser controversy. Police use 50,000 volts to subdue a 12-year-old and a 6-year-old. Is it excessive force?
Later on LIVE FROM, on the front lines in Iraq. An intense day in the life of Charlie Company.
And tomorrow on LIVE FROM, the Beatles. A new release lets fans of the Fab Four to get back to where you once belonged.
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Questions of law and order in Miami, Florida. Two Miami-Dade police officers face possibly disciplinary -- or possible disciplinary action, rather, today for using Taser guns, stun guns normally used to subdue threatening individuals, on children. One child was only 6 years old.
CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti takes a look at the controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The second Taser incident involving a child was publicly revealed only after CNN first reported on a 6-year-old being volted, even though both cases were known to authorities. This 12-year-old girl was also Tasered.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I felt like I couldn't breathe. And I was like nervous and I was scared at the same time.
CANDIOTTI: Police say she was playing hooky from school, drinking and swimming with friends in a pool. After breaking it up, an officer gave chase. According to a police report, he advised her to stop several times, but she didn't to the point of starting to run into lanes of traffic.
Without explaining why, a spokesman for the police director says the case is now under review.
SGT. PETER ANDREW, MIAMI-DADE POLICE: He felt that it wasn't the most appropriate use of the Taser, but that's -- it needs to follow its course of review by the command staff.
CANDIOTTI: About two weeks earlier, this first grader was Tasered at school. He was holding a piece of broken glass, allegedly about to cut his leg. Police insist two officers and others there had no other choice.
DET. JUAN DEL CASTILLO, MIAMI-DADE POLICE: We're happy that we're here talking about this, as opposed to an injury that he might have caused to himself with that piece of glass.
CANDIOTTI: After the quick 50,000-volt jolt, the boy's family says he threw up.
KATHY ALLEN, MOTHER: If there's three officers, there's nothing to tell a 6-year-old holding a glass if you feel threatened, "Hey, here is a piece of candy. Hey, here is a toy. You know, let the glass go."
CANDIOTTI: Both incidents have created an outcry. Florida's governor was asked about it. GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: I don't know the circumstances of why adults couldn't control a 6-year-old.
CANDIOTTI: Community activists are calling for a meeting with police.
GEORGIA AYERS, COMMUNITY ACTIVIST: There needs to be more in- depth study on using the Taser on children.
CANDIOTTI: Miami police chief John Timoney has questions about his sister agency's Taser policy and says he's uncomfortable about using Tasers on children, especially in school.
CHIEF JOHN TIMONEY, MIAMI, FLORIDA POLICE: Allowing them just to deal with unruly students, I mean that's...
CANDIOTTI: Taser International says more than 5,000 police agencies nationwide use their product and insist it is tested safe for anyone weighing at least 60 pounds. Yet, Tasers on children remain controversial, and in south Florida, policies on their use are under review.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: The Food and Drug Administration has a new way of counterfeiting a tracking -- not counterfeiting. They're not doing the counterfeiting. They're tracking the counterfeit drugs.
The question I have for you, Rhonda, does that mean my prescription for my allergy pills in my medicine chest will be having a two-way communication with some government entity in D.C.?
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 15, 2004 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Live pictures from Foggy Bottom. The secretary of state due in this room shortly to talk about his imminent departure. It's all part of a second term shuffle. Secretary of State Colin Powell headlining the list.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sniper rounds start just above my left eyebrow. It's nothing too serious. I guess it cracked my skull.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: Wounded in war but ready to go back. Marines wounded in the fight for Falluja on what the battle is like.
O'BRIEN: A Taser controversy. Police used stun guns on a 12- year-old and a 6-year-old. Did they go too far?
PHILLIPS: Rating the restraints. If you think you're protected from neck injury in your car, well, chances are you're wrong.
From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips.
O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
It's quitting time, and the Bush administration, with four more years on the horizon, four more cabinet secretaries decide, or perhaps are persuaded, that one term for them is enough.
Topping the list of resignations announced this morning, Secretary of State Colin Powell, a figure whose future has been the subject of speculation almost since he took office.
Here is the word from the White House moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Secretary Powell made a decision, for his own reasons, that this was now the time to leave, and I think if you want further explanation, you can direct those questions to him. But this discussion they've had for some time, and I think it was known.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did Powell offer to stay on?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: To say the least. CNN's Andrea Koppel has covered Powell from day one. She joins us now from the State Department, intimately familiar with all the discussion that's been going on.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, I understand Secretary Powell has just walked into the briefing room. So I guess we're going to listen in to that.
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: It has been my great honor and privilege to have been once again given the opportunity to serve our nation, and I will always treasure the four years that I've spent with President Bush and with the wonderful men and women of the Department of State.
(LIVE EVENT: COLIN POWELL PRESS CONFERENCE)
POWELL: ... It's been a privilege for me to have been given the opportunity to lead them for these last four years. I will lead them up until the day I depart. Thank you.
KOPPEL: We've been listening to secretary of state Colin Powell giving a farewell, of sorts, here at the State Department. He's not leaving now, but his intention is to serve until the president has named who his successor will be, and after that person has been confirmed by the new Congress, or presumably as Secretary Powell indicated, we're talking about several weeks, maybe a couple of months, perhaps after the president is inaugurated for his second term.
But I can tell you, over the last almost four years that Secretary Powell has been here, he came as close to being a rock star as you get in the diplomat world.
Right where I'm standing right now four years ago in January of 2001, this place was packed with standing room only people applauding him because he was a man who had so much charisma and so -- his resume is a mile long, everything from deputy national security adviser, national security adviser, to chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.
There was tremendous optimism four years ago about what Secretary Powell's inclusion in the president's cabinet would mean for Bush foreign policy.
Having said that, now fast-forward four years. There are mixed feelings about what Secretary Powell's record will look like in the history books, Miles. And I can tell you that there are very few successes, tangible successes that the secretary can point to. Certainly the war in Iraq is -- was one of the low points -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: You could nominate for one of the great understatements of the year when he said we've had some differences with our European nations over Iraq.
Clearly, whoever succeeds him has the role doing some reparations, or maybe not, depending on their philosophy in the matter. But there's a lot of damage done there, isn't there?
KOPPEL: There absolutely is. And I think that we need to wait and see who Secretary Powell's successor will be. That will be telling in and of itself.
Chances are, and certainly, early indications are that it could be someone like the current national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, who is someone is known for her expertise in Russia, but not necessarily known as somebody who is going to fight the president or fight Secretary Rumsfeld over at Pentagon or for that matter, Vice President Cheney.
Secretary Powell was known for the one who was butting heads and really trying to push in certain instances a different agenda. So I think that it is not necessarily the case that whoever succeeds Secretary Powell is going to be out there glad handing and trying to make nice with the allies.
O'BRIEN: All right. I assume I'm not the first to do this on the air today, but I presume the discussion about his potential presidential aspirations begin this moment.
KOPPEL: Well, you could say they begin and end at this moment, because Secretary Powell has said over and over again, over the last number of years, that he has no interest in running for president.
He certainly could have -- I do actually. I do. And I think that the reasons are quite personal, that he has served four -- four decades in the military. He's served, as we just outlined over in the White House, the Pentagon, and now here at state. And that for personal reasons he would prefer not to.
That's not to say that there aren't a lot of Republicans out there who wouldn't like him to be the candidate in '08. But I don't think that we're going to see Secretary Powell -- could be wrong, but I don't think we're going to see him throw his hat in the ring.
O'BRIEN: All right. We're going to save this tape, Andrea Koppel, hopefully to bear you out as being a prescient correspondent, as always. Thanks for your time. Appreciate it -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: As America's top diplomat, Colin Powell may be remembered for the same traits that also make him America's top soldier: brains, charisma, determination and loyalty no matter what.
We get the view from abroad from CNN editor Robin Oakley in London.
Robin, why don't we start with what Jack Straw had to say.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Indeed. Jack Straw, the U.K. foreign secretary, Colin Powell's equivalent, as it were, in the U.K. gave him a tribute of remarkable warmth and affection really, Kyra.
He said that Colin Powell had made the transition from being the world's leading military man to a leading statesman and diplomat. He also made it quite clear that he's not ready to say goodbye to him yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK STRAW, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: Colin has got great energy. He's a man of the utmost integrity. He is huge fun. And I look forward to continue to work with him for the next two months and to remain in close contact with him whether he finally relinquishes his office as secretary of state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OAKLEY: Jack Straw said Colin Powell had been a tireless worker for peace. And he gave him credit for bringing the allies together over Afghanistan and for persuading President George Bush to embrace the two state solution for Israel and Palestine, working towards Middle East peace -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So, Robin, when you look at the relationship between Tony Blair and President Bush and the Britain/U.S. relationship, did Colin Powell help bridge that, or have Bush and Blair pretty much built this relationship on their own?
OAKLEY: Well, I think, yes. Britain is a special case, because there is such a strong relationship between Tony Blair and George Bush, and they've been through so much together. They do work very closely together.
But at the same time, Colin Powell and Jack Straw have worked absolutely hand in hand. They describe themselves as the two desk officers in the run-up to the Iraq war, with Jack Straw phoning Colin Powell almost daily at moments of crisis. One day particularly from a very rainy day working in his constituency. So there has been a closeness there.
Colin Powell's importance, perhaps, is more across the rest of Europe, where some people will be looking very nervously to see who replaces him. Because the other European leaders, people like Chancellor Schroeder in Germany, President Chirac in France, did at least feel that Colin Powell was a member of the U.S. administration who listened to them. He may not always have been able to give them the results they wanted, but they did feel that he listened to them.
What they don't want is to see him replaced by somebody of the ilk of Donald Rumsfeld, the defense secretary, who came to Europe and lectured them and tried to play divide and rule, dividing them into old Europe, France and Germany on one side, and new Europe, the former Soviet Union countries who have only recently joined the European Union -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: CNN European political editor Robin Oakley. Thank you so much.
And three other cabinet departures were announced and/or confirmed today, those of Education Secretary Rod Paige, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman.
So who's left? This is the -- highly subject to change, of course. But for now, Interior Secretary Gale Norton, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta, Health Secretary Tommy Thompson and Treasury Secretary John Snow. Also, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi, and HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson.
O'BRIEN: Should the man who shot President Reagan have a little more freedom? Ahead, the latest on hearings for John Hinckley.
And later on LIVE FROM, taking ownership of your health. How could the Bush administration's prescription for health care affect you?
ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: News across America now.
Closing arguments under way in a hearing to determine whether John Hinckley should have a little more freedom. The man who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan asking for extended visits to his parents' home. Hinckley's therapist says he no longer poses a danger to himself or others. Government attorneys think otherwise.
In Los Angeles, jury selection begins in the Robert Blake murder trial. Attorneys hand selecting jurors from a pool of about 100. Blake is charged with killing his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, 3 1/2 years ago now.
Security tightening at three U.S. Border crossings: a pilot program under way at crossings in Texas, Arizona and Canada. Suspicious visitors to be fingerprinted, photographed and possibly subjected to background checks. If it works, it could be in place at all border crossings next year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS (voice-over): Next, on LIVE FROM...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like I couldn't breathe. I was nervous and scared at the same time.
PHILLIPS: ... Taser controversy. Police use 50,000 volts to subdue a 12-year-old and a 6-year-old. Is it excessive force?
Later on LIVE FROM, on the front lines in Iraq. An intense day in the life of Charlie Company.
And tomorrow on LIVE FROM, the Beatles. A new release lets fans of the Fab Four to get back to where you once belonged.
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Questions of law and order in Miami, Florida. Two Miami-Dade police officers face possibly disciplinary -- or possible disciplinary action, rather, today for using Taser guns, stun guns normally used to subdue threatening individuals, on children. One child was only 6 years old.
CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti takes a look at the controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The second Taser incident involving a child was publicly revealed only after CNN first reported on a 6-year-old being volted, even though both cases were known to authorities. This 12-year-old girl was also Tasered.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I felt like I couldn't breathe. And I was like nervous and I was scared at the same time.
CANDIOTTI: Police say she was playing hooky from school, drinking and swimming with friends in a pool. After breaking it up, an officer gave chase. According to a police report, he advised her to stop several times, but she didn't to the point of starting to run into lanes of traffic.
Without explaining why, a spokesman for the police director says the case is now under review.
SGT. PETER ANDREW, MIAMI-DADE POLICE: He felt that it wasn't the most appropriate use of the Taser, but that's -- it needs to follow its course of review by the command staff.
CANDIOTTI: About two weeks earlier, this first grader was Tasered at school. He was holding a piece of broken glass, allegedly about to cut his leg. Police insist two officers and others there had no other choice.
DET. JUAN DEL CASTILLO, MIAMI-DADE POLICE: We're happy that we're here talking about this, as opposed to an injury that he might have caused to himself with that piece of glass.
CANDIOTTI: After the quick 50,000-volt jolt, the boy's family says he threw up.
KATHY ALLEN, MOTHER: If there's three officers, there's nothing to tell a 6-year-old holding a glass if you feel threatened, "Hey, here is a piece of candy. Hey, here is a toy. You know, let the glass go."
CANDIOTTI: Both incidents have created an outcry. Florida's governor was asked about it. GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: I don't know the circumstances of why adults couldn't control a 6-year-old.
CANDIOTTI: Community activists are calling for a meeting with police.
GEORGIA AYERS, COMMUNITY ACTIVIST: There needs to be more in- depth study on using the Taser on children.
CANDIOTTI: Miami police chief John Timoney has questions about his sister agency's Taser policy and says he's uncomfortable about using Tasers on children, especially in school.
CHIEF JOHN TIMONEY, MIAMI, FLORIDA POLICE: Allowing them just to deal with unruly students, I mean that's...
CANDIOTTI: Taser International says more than 5,000 police agencies nationwide use their product and insist it is tested safe for anyone weighing at least 60 pounds. Yet, Tasers on children remain controversial, and in south Florida, policies on their use are under review.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: The Food and Drug Administration has a new way of counterfeiting a tracking -- not counterfeiting. They're not doing the counterfeiting. They're tracking the counterfeit drugs.
The question I have for you, Rhonda, does that mean my prescription for my allergy pills in my medicine chest will be having a two-way communication with some government entity in D.C.?
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
