The federal appeals court decision on New York City’s stop-and-frisk policy could give the next mayor unexpected leeway in shaping the Police Department, says the New York Times. Still, likely winner Bill de Blasio, for all of his attacks on the department's practices, could find his own agenda constrained by the outside monitor appointed as part of a trial judge's ruling that the stop-and-frisk practice violated the rights of minorities.
De Blasio says he will drop the appeal if he takes office in January. While as the city's public advocate and a mayoral candidate he has enthusiastically endorsed the judge's decision to appoint the monitor, as the city's chief executive, he may not be so eager to share oversight of the Police Department with a federal court. “Any mayor would prefer having responsibility for the actions of their own appointees rather than court supervision,” says Victor Kovner, formerly the city’s top lawyer. The appeals court blocked changes ordered by Judge Shira Scheindlin, which included a pilot program in which some officers were to wear cameras to record their street interactions.