SC’s Tim Scott says he’s ‘disappointed’ after police reform efforts fall through

Months of trying to negotiate a massive, bipartisan police reform package have officially come to an end.

The Wall Street Journal first reported Wednesday that lawmakers were unable to strike a deal, two months after U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, the lead Republican working on the negotiations, disputed reports that talks were on “life support.”

“After months of making progress, I am deeply disappointed that Democrats have once again squandered a crucial opportunity to implement meaningful reform to make our neighborhoods safer and mend the tenuous relationship between law enforcement and communities of color,” the South Carolina Republican said in a statement. “Crime will continue to increase while safety decreases, and more officers are going to walk away from the force because my negotiating partners walked away from the table.”

Despite the ultimate breakdown in communications, Scott said there were some areas he and Democratic negotiators Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, and Rep. Karen Bass, D-California, agreed on during negotiations. Those included banning chokeholds, limiting police acquisition of military equipment and increasing mental health resources, Scott said.

“As they are doing on so many other issues, I fear Democrats will continue to pursue a partisan route to create problems in search of solutions,” Scott said. “While I am frustrated that the Left abandoned such a critical issue at such a critical time, I will continue to work with anyone who is serious about finding bipartisan solutions that bring justice, fairness, and safety for the most vulnerable among us.”

The negotiations ended more than a year after the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer who knelt on his neck. Floyd’s death sparked a massive call for policing reform across the country.

Negotiations spanned the last six months as the bipartisan group tried to hash out a bill agreeable to both parties.

During that time, lawmakers found it difficult to reconcile differences over qualified immunity, which protects officers in many instances from civil lawsuits.

At one point, Scott and others were optimistic about a compromise, announcing in June they’d reached an agreement on the framework of the bill.

“There is still more work to be done on the final bill, and nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to. Over the next few weeks we look forward to continuing our work toward getting a finalized proposal across the finish line,” a joint statement said at the time.

The negotiators set and failed to meet several deadlines, most recently in August.

Separately, last year, Scott proposed his own policing reform bill, the Justice Act, focusing on police training protocols, hiring practices and data collection.

The bill needed 60 votes to advance, but ultimately failed 55-45 after the majority of Democrats voted it down.