As an LPD officer, I can affirm that we deal with corporal punishment cases all of the time. The bottom line is, corporal punishment is deemed acceptable as long as it fits under specific set out standards and does not surpass specific guidelines, set under state law. When myself, and every other Largo PD officer, are presented with an incident involving child discipline, our goal is to determine whether or not the physical force used violates these state mandated guidelines. If the alleged force does not, then it is deemed acceptable by state law and our agency. I can, therefore, attest that the city of Largo does not condone reasonable child discipline, otherwise known as "spanking".

The term "hitting" and "spanking" are two seperate entities. "Spanking" is generally considered to be the act of using a REASONABLE amount of physical force against a child with the intent to cause discomfort, but no lasting or severe pain, injury, or bodily harm. "Hitting", on the other hand, is generally considered to be the act of striking another person with the intent to cause harm, injury, or damage.

By using the term "Hitting", the Largo Police Dept. is not condoning legal corporal punishment against a child. This can be confirmed by observing our day-to-day handlings of related scenarios.....or just a good handle on the English language.