Stop-And-Frisk Ruling Draws Scrutiny Of Leading NYC Mayoral Candidate

Democratic New York City mayoral candidates applauded a landmark stop-and-frisk decision Monday, hailing Judge Shira Scheindlin's call for a federal monitor to oversee the police department after ruling the NYPD had violated the constitutional rights of thousands of New Yorkers.

Although the candidates were nearly unanimous in their praise, Bill de Blasio pointed to frontrunner Christine Quinn's "acquiescence" to Mayor Bloomberg for the proliferation of police stops over the last decade during her tenure as City Council Speaker.

Quinn recently supported a bill to create a NYPD inspector general to oversee the department. She also allowed a vote on a racial profiling measure, even though she didn't support it. Both bills passed.

Over the course of a decade, with Bloomberg as mayor, the number of police stops in New York City soared 600 percent. Last year, the NYPD made 533,042 stops, 87 percent of which were blacks and Latinos.

The stop-and-frisk decision comes as a major blow to Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, both of whom have staunchly defended the department's use of the tactic as a means of fighting crime.

Check out the candidates' reactions below: