When are kids too young to be handcuffed?

In Connecticut, the answer will soon be 13 years old.

On Thursday, Gov. Ned Lamont signed a new law limiting when police can restrain younger suspects.

For one Norwalk lawmaker, it’s an experience that traumatized him for decades.

Before Kadeem Roberts was a Connecticut state lawmaker, he was a 12-year-old kid who ended up in handcuffs.

“Me and my cousin were walking down the street, and they said that we fit the description of someone that committed a robbery around the corner. We were just going to the store,” he said. “And that traumatized me for the rest of my life.”

He’s not alone. Rev. Herron Gaston, a state senator from Bridgeport, had a similar experience.

“An officer got behind the car and said, ‘You all need to get out of the car,’” he said. “And I still remember the chilling effect of having a gun behind my ear.”

Now, two decades later, Roberts and Gaston sat next to Lamont at The Carver youth center in Norwalk as he signed a new law limiting when kids are handcuffed.

Starting on Oct. 1, police can’t handcuff suspects younger than 14, unless “it’s necessary for purposes of public safety or because the child is using or threatening to use physical force.”

“I think it’s a good law because it says, you only use things like handcuffing in the most extreme circumstances,” Lamont said.

Supporters said that Connecticut is the first state in the nation to pass this type of legislation.

But the new law has a catch.

An officer must know the suspect is underage. Lawmakers added the language in a last-minute deal to get the bill passed.

“Yes, it’s a big loophole,” said Roberts. “But I think that now it’s actually making police aware.”

That’s not the only compromise supporters made. Originally, the bill banned police from even arresting kids under 14 unless it was for a serious felony. Instead, most cases would be diverted to a juvenile review board.

Lawmakers dropped the proposal after pushback from police.

“Anything that you do as a – throwing a blanket over a situation that comes to a society is really not a good policy,” said Norwalk police chief James Walsh. “We have to look at things individually.”

Despite the changes, Republicans warned that the new law will lead to more juvenile crime.

“The governor placed figurative handcuffs on the brave men and women of law enforcement who strive to keep each of us safe,” said state Rep. Craig Fishbein (R-Wallingford). “It’s yet another attack on police pursued under the guise of protecting minor offenders, despite the legitimate concerns of responding officers who are forced to make split second decisions to protect public safety. When placed in concert with other recently-passed, anti-police legislation it’s no wonder law enforcement officers across the state feel undervalued and overwhelmed.”

But civil rights groups said it strikes the right balance between safety and reducing the stigma of an arrest.

“Every child makes mistakes. How we respond matters,” said Christina Quaranta, executive director of the Connecticut Justice Alliance. “Limiting the use of restraints isn’t just symbolic. It will have immediate, real-world benefits for kids across the state by preventing unnecessary and traumatic interactions with the adults tasked with protecting them.”

Roberts said the fight isn't over to limit underage arrests.

“In politics, you've got to start somewhere,” he said. “And I think that this was a fresh start.”