Republicans consider reducing qualified immunity a 'poison pill' in police reform efforts, Tim Scott says

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last updated 14 June 2020

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who is leading the Senate's policing reform effort, on Sunday said reducing qualified immunity — which would make it easier to fire officers who don't uphold their duties — is considered a "poison pill" by President Trump and other Republicans, and is therefore "off the table" in negotiations.

On the other hand, decertification of officers is a no-go for law enforcement unions, Scott said. The senator acknowledged the upper chamber will have to find some way to reduce misconduct among police officers, but he said trying to force through non-starters means nothing gets done, and a stalemate would send "perhaps the worst signal" at a time when many people in the country are calling for action against police brutality and systemic racism in the wake George Floyd's death.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

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