Appearing before an African-American audience in Harlem on Saturday hosted by Rev. Al Sharpton, Anthony Weiner criticized the Police Department’s stop-and-frisk policy as excessive and promised that, if he became mayor, he would not use the tactic “as a racial tool,” NY Times Kate Taylor reports.

Mr. Weiner described the number of stops – some 533,000 last year — as excessive, and said the tactic should not be used “against particular communities.” Yet he gave little indication of how he would put that policy into effect.

In an interview with WCBS 880′s Steve Scott on Friday during the Eye on Politics segment, Mr. Weiner defended the controversial NYPD practice of stop-and-frisk as a tool in stopping crime. “If someone is acting suspiciously and we think they’re gonna commit a crime, a police officer should be able to stop them,” Weiner said. “But if you’re a cop who’s stopping people and they haven’t done anything wrong, you’re a bad cop and you should be fired.”

Mr. Weiner  added he likes Ray Kelly, just not as police commissioner.

“I think it’s time for some change at the top,” Weiner said. “But I like Ray Kelly and I think he’s a talented guy. So, if he’s willing to take another job in my administration, I might offer it to him.”

(Jacob Kornbluh -YWN)