Violating the rights of minorities through stop-and-frisk policies will not make anyone safer, Sen. Tim Scott said on Thursday after Donald Trump suggested bringing back the controversial tactic to police American cities.
"The reality of it is you don't have to violate the Constitution to keep communities safe," the South Carolina Republican said on CNN.
The stop-and-frisk tactic in New York involved police officers stopping passerby they deemed suspicious and patting them down. In 2013 a federal judge ruled that the policy violated the rights of minorities, since it disproportionately targeted African Americans and Latinos.
The reality of it is you don't have to violate the Constitution to keep communities safe.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.
“I would do stop-and-frisk. I think you have to,” Trump said on Wednesday during a town hall meeting hosted by Fox News in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. “We did it in New York, it worked incredibly well and you have to be proactive.”
A day later Trump seemed to scale back his comments, saying he had only meant Chicago.
I'm glad he's started the process of walking back those comments.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.
“I think Chicago needs stop and frisk,” he said on Fox News on Thursday. “Now people can criticize me for that or people can say whatever they want, but they asked me about Chicago and I think stop and frisk with good strong — you know — good, strong law and order.”
Scott, who supports Trump for president, said there are better ways to keep communities safe.
"I'm glad he's started the process of walking back those comments," Scott said on Thursday.
Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, has proposed different solutions that focus on rebuilding trust between law enforcement and African-American communities.
He and fellow South Carolina Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy have been leading rountable discussions between law enforcement and comunity leaders in their home state.
"I have seen a remarkable thing occur in South Carolina, it is folks first establishing rapport and credibility and then transparency is happening, trust is built, and then we get to the source of the problem,” he said on Thursday. “You cannot rush that conversation.”
He has also proposed to authorize $100 million in grants for police departments to pay for body cameras for their officers to wear on patrol.
Vera Bergengruen: 202-383-6036, @verambergen