Pols slap cuffs on cops

A furious election-year battle over modifying the NYPD’s controversial stop-and-frisk policy culminated in a stinging defeat yesterday for Mayor Bloomberg, who warned that “minority communities across our city” would end up the biggest losers.

After more than two hours of heated — and sometimes tearful — debate, the City Council overrode the mayor’s vetoes of two bills aimed at containing the longtime practice.

Both measures — which include an inspector general with the power to oversee the Police Department — will become law in 90 days.

Seeing no legal route to stopping the IG, the mayor threw up his hands on possible court action.

OVERRIDING: Speaker Christine Quinn presides over the City Council yesterday before the lawmakers voted to override Mayor Bloomberg’s vetoes.

But Bloomberg vowed a fight to the finish to block the second bill, which expands the right of people to sue for alleged racial profiling.

He said he would ask the courts to intervene in that case “before innocent people are harmed.”

The council’s 39-10 override vote to create an IG within the city’s Department of Investigation to monitor cops was a foregone conclusion.

The administration hoped to pick off one or more council members to head off the second override of the bill allowing victims of racial profiling to sue in state court, as well as federal court.

Despite lobbying by the mayor and police unions, that measure was approved, 34-15, the minimum vote required to overturn his veto.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn, locked in a mayoral race against two rivals who have attacked stop-and-frisk, insisted the IG wouldn’t impair cops who have brought down crime to record low levels.

“We’ve had a situation in this city where we have had no entity that could bring constant focus and oversight with the City Council on issues such as stop-and-frisk,” Quinn said, noting other city agencies have similar oversight.

Her campaign issued a press release saying: “After Months of Empty Rhetoric From Others, Quinn Gets Results on Reforming Stop and Frisk.”

The second bill — which Quinn opposed — expanded the definition of bias-based profiling to include gender, sexuality, housing status and a host of other identifying factors.

It also created a right for New Yorkers to sue the NYPD for policy changes, not monetary rewards, when they feel they have been unfairly targeted in a stop-and-frisk.

Individual officers could also be sued, but the burden of proof would be much higher.

Bloomberg was unsparing in his criticism.

“Today, the City Council adopted legislation that will make it harder for our police officers to protect New Yorkers and continue to drive down crime,” he warned.

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