Stop-and-frisk policy debate rages on - New York News | NYC Breaking News

Stop-and-frisk policy debate rages on

As the weather heats up, so is the debate about the NYPD's stop and frisk policy.

NYPD stats show the number of people shot last week compared to the same time a year ago is up 46 percent.

Some blame the weather: hotter temperatures equal shorter fuses.

Others are blaming the NYPD's scaling back of the controversial stop and frisk policy.

Critics, however, contend that's not a fair assessment.

Back on June 17, Mayor Bloomberg said the NYPD would amend the stop and frisk policy, because of complaints from civil rights groups.

But critics of the policy, like the NYCLU's Donna Lieberman, argue blacks and Hispanics are still being unfairly targeted.

Overall, the number of shootings in the city increased about 8 percent compared to the same period last year.

Last week, in Brownsville, Brooklyn alone, 14 people were shot in 24 hours.

Whether more stop and frisks would have helped is unclear.

One thing is clear: the policy is not going away anytime soon.

So while shootings have gone up, the number of murders in the city has declined this year compared to last.

Overall, crime this time this year compared to 2011, is up a little over 4 percent.