City Council Approves Inspector General to Monitor NYPD

The New York City Council today established an inspector general to oversee the New York Police Department , overriding Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Commissioner Ray Kelly.

An inspector general must be appointed early next year by the next mayor's Department of Investigation commissioner. The inspector general can probe police policies but recommendations won't be binding, reports the New York Daily News .

The oversight role will likely coincide with another independent monitor overseeing changes ordered by a federal judge to the NYPD's stop-and-frisk policy.

Earlier this month, U.S. District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled that officers made thousands of discriminatory stops in minority neighborhoods and called on the agency to adopt on-body video cameras.

New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has  defended stop-and-frisk , saying it has helped keep violent crime at historic lows.

The City Council's attempt to overhaul stop-and-frisk was vetoed by Mayor Bloomberg in June, leading to the vote today to override that veto. The council Thursday also passed a city law making it easier for people who believe they have been victims of racial profiling to file a complaint.