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Bloomberg Files Suit Against NYPD Oversight Measure

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - Mayor Michael Bloomberg is suing to try to block a law that would make it easier to sue the NYPD over stop and frisks or other actions people claimed were discriminatory.

The mayor followed through Tuesday on his pledge to go to court over the measure. He sued the City Council, which passed it last month over his veto.

The suit says the legislation treads into an area governed by state law.

"The Mayor made clear in his veto message that this anti-profiling measure is illegal -- and today we are taking action on his behalf to prevent the law from taking effect," said Corporation Counsel Michael A. Cardozo of the New York City Law Department.  "This suit is necessary to prevent the City Council from enacting laws where the State's exclusive authority has been established."

LINK: Read The Complaint (pdf)

Council Speaker Christine Quinn says she's confident the measure will prevail in court.

The legislation is part of a pair of laws imposing new checks on the NYPD amid complaints about stop-and-frisk and other tactics. The other creates a police inspector general.

Bloomberg vetoed both. His suit concerns only the police-lawsuit measure.

The mayor and NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly have said making it easier to file lawsuits against the department could have a chilling effect on officers and would divert police resources to legal cases instead of the streets.

Under the City Council measure, lawsuits could not seek monetary damages only changes to policy.

Mayor Bloomberg has also announced plans to appeal a judge's ruling calling stop-and-frisk discriminatory.

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