Bill De Blasio Called Out After Spat With Bloomberg Over Stop-and-Frisk Apology: 'You Should Think About Your Legacy'

New Yorkers have told Bill De Blasio to consider his own legacy on crime after the city's mayor slammed his predecessor Michael Bloomberg for making a "cynical" apology over his support for stop-and-frisk searches.

The incumbent New York City mayor was called out by fellow Democrat Tiffany Cabán and other public figures who took aim at subway policing under his watch, suggesting he had criminalized poverty.

A local police union also accused De Blasio of "dividing" New York City and "being full of s***" in the wake of his attack on Bloomberg's legacy.

The billionaire former New York City Mayor apologised over the weekend for pursuing a "stop-and-frisk" policy while in office, admitting that he had been "wrong" on the issue.

Addressing worshippers at the Christian Cultural Center on Sunday Morning, Bloomberg said: "Over time, I've come to understand something that I long struggled to admit to myself: I got something important wrong.

"I didn't understand back then the full impact that stops were having on the black and Latino communities. I was totally focused on saving lives, but as we know: good intentions aren't good enough."

That apology was met with skepticism from several commentators and community leaders, with Reverend Al Sharpton saying Bloomberg could not expect people to "forgive and forget after one speech," according to The New York Times.

Mayor De Blasio also weighed in on the apology last night. Speaking to CNN, he said: "I'm always glad when somebody has the ability to apologize. I am contesting why now and why under this circumstance, but the much bigger point here is stop and frisk was discredited years and years ago."

He also told the broadcaster that his billionaire predecessor's apology for pursuing the policy was a "deathbed conversion" made for the benefit of his Democratic primary campaign.

The incumbent New York City mayor tweeted further criticism of Bloomberg on Sunday, saying the timing of his stop and frisk apology this weekend was "cynical" and "long overdue."

But his attack on Bloomberg's pursuit of stop-and-frisk quickly backfired last night, as his own record of crime policy and policing tactics came under scrutiny.

"Actually YOU DID NOT END Stop & Frisk, Judge Scheindlin did. You just came into office hating cops, blamed the NYPD for everything & made us the target of your agenda," the New York Police Department sergeants' union tweeted.

"The only thing you actually can take credit for is being full of s*** & dividing a city."

Tiffany Cabán, a public defender who came close to winning the Democratic primary for the Queens District Attorney post earlier this year, tweeted: "With all due respect to you Mr. Mayor, you're also in favor of adding 500 cops to our subways so they can stop, arrest and search poor black & brown folks.

"You denounce stop & frisk, but support broken windows policing that criminalizes poverty? A bit hypocritical, no?"

Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, also took aim at De Blasio.

Responding to his tweet about Bloomberg, she said: "Yes, and that is why it is so disappointing to see what is happening in the subways and around public housing, that mirrors so much of what was wrong with the Bloomberg/Ray Kelly era.

"@NYCMayor, you should think about your legacy and address what is happening on your watch."

New York subway policing has made national headlines in recent weeks after NYPD officers were filmed swarming an unarmed 19-year-old and pulling guns on him before arresting the young man for alleged farehopping.

Police said they were told Adrian Napier was in possession of a firearm, according to The Daily Beast, but no weapon was found on his person.

In another viral incident, three police officers were pictured handcuffing a crying woman who was trying to sell churros at a Brooklyn subway station.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has pledged to put another 500 police officers on patrol of New York City subways—a plan that could cost almost $250 million, The New York Times reported.