At NY1 Debate, Mayoral Field Tap Dances Around Bloomberg's Crime Legacy

Six Democrats vying for mayor's job debated public safety in the first televised debate of the mayoral campaign on Wednesday night. They staked out their positions on stop-and-frisk, oversight of the NYPD and Mayor Michael Bloomberg's legacy on crime.

None of the candidates on stage wanted to distance themselves from the city's current historically low murder rates, so they focused on the ways they would change the city's style of policing.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn repeated that she would be lucky if NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly stayed on in her administration, while the other three top Democratic candidates — Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, former Comptroller Bill Thompson and Comptroller John Liu — all said he needs to go.

Quinn favors a new Inspector General for police oversight, but she opposes a bill to expand the ability to sue for racial profiling. That drew criticism from De Blasio and Liu, while Thompson said he wants Inspector General oversight, but said it should be within the department rather than outside of it.