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WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 14: Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) questions U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, September 14, 2021 in Washington, DC. Blinken was questioned about the Biden administration's handling of the U.S. withdraw from Afghanistan.
Negotiations in Congress regarding police reforms have broken down with lawmakers not striking up a bipartisan deal amid the widespread demand to weed out law enforcement violence against civilians.
In a statement, Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, expressed his disappointment at the failure of officials to reach a bipartisan deal. He said they have tried everything they could think of but could not agree on the police reforms despite cooperating with and securing the support of several police groups, including the Fraternal Order of Police and International Association of Chiefs of Police, for our proposals.
Police Reform Negotiations Break Down
"Unfortunately, even with this law enforcement support and further compromises we offered, there was still too wide a gulf with our negotiating partners and we faced significant obstacles to securing a bipartisan deal," Booker said.
The failed negotiations were the latest efforts of government officials to reform federal police standards. The proposal also had a chance to be passed in Congress as both parties supported the idea. However, it is now unclear whether or not lawmakers would still be able to pass a police reform bill following the killings of Black Americans, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, by police officers, CNBC reported.
On top of the controversy, Booker said he would look into every other possible option to pass police reform. Democrats would need to receive support from more than 10 Republican lawmakers to pass any legislation in the Senate unless they choose to scrap the legislative filibuster.
United States President Joe Biden criticized Republicans in the Senate after the failure of negotiations regarding police reform in the country. The Democrat argued that GOP members refused to pass even modest reforms that his party members offered.
On the other hand, Biden thanked lawmakers who supported the police reform negotiations, including Booker and Rep. Karen Bass of California. "Regrettably, Senate Republicans rejected enacting modest reforms, which even the previous president supported while refusing to take action on key issues that many in law enforcement were willing to address," the president said, CNN reported.
Democrats And Republicans at Odds
Booker's police reform proposal did not include major points of the issue, including qualified immunity. The bill prioritized less controversial issues, including a database of officers of misconduct and terminations, a ban of no-knock warrants, and mental health support for police officers. The Democrat's proposal also included an executive order that former President Donald Trump signed that authorized the Department of Justice to create a police accreditation standard.
While the recent negotiations failed to result in a bipartisan deal, it was unclear what other options Democrats had to push for police reforms. Sen. Tim Scott expressed his disappointment at the failed discussions. However, rather than blaming his fellow GOP members, the official blamed the fault on Democratic authorities.
Democratic lawmakers have again failed to uphold their duty by allowing a crucial opportunity to pass police reform, the Republican said. Scott added the bill would have made neighborhoods much safer and fixed the relationship between law enforcement and communities of color, NBC News reported.
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