New York City lawmakers have passed the most expansive plans
in years to impose new oversight on the nation's largest police force.
The City Council voted early Thursday to create an outside
watchdog and make it easier to bring racial profiling claims against the New
York Police Department.
Both bills passed with enough votes to override expected
mayoral vetoes.
Proponents see the legislation as a check on a police force
that's come under scrutiny for its heavy use of a tactic known as stop and
frisk and its extensive surveillance of Muslims, which was revealed in stories
by The Associated Press.
Critics say the measures would impinge on techniques that
have decreased crime dramatically and would hamper the NYPD.
A pending federal court case could add separate monitoring.