Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) appeared on ABC's "This Week: on Sunday to discuss Senate Republicans' police reform bill. The senator said police departments in America need more resources, not fewer.
The GOP bill would compel local police departments to institute reforms by attaching conditions to federal funds. The bill is a way of encouraging police departments to end practices like chokeholds and no-knock warrants since dictating policies to local jurisdictions raises Constitutional concerns.
"The House knows and the Senate knows that you can't ban local use of chokeholds or state use of chokeholds except for the compelled behavior by the federal grants that come into play," Scott explained. "And by removing those federal grants, you actually position those departments to change their behavior, change their policy."
Critics have said the Republican bill incorporates an element of the "defund the police" movement since police departments that did not institute reforms would lose out on federal funds. But, as Sen. Scott points out, the bill recognizes the need for law enforcement and works with law enforcement to address concerns about police brutality. The "defund the police" movement calls for the redirection of police funds into various welfare and social programs.
"We believe that you actually need more resources, not less resources," Scott said. "If you want officers to be trained effectively, you have to give them the tools called training to get there. That requires more resources."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said the upper chamber will take up the measure in the upcoming week.
Sen. Tim Scott says his police reform bill would leverage federal funds to “compel” change in local police departments, but adds that police “need more resources, not less resources” to improve training, data collection and other elements of police reform. https://t.co/Alu4wcJ7Hk pic.twitter.com/rTxARrq3fm
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) June 21, 2020
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