Editorial: Frisk monitor has tough road ahead

Who will reform the NYPD?

Federal Judge Shira Scheindlin has bluntly ordered the NYPD to clean up its act when it comes to stop-and-frisk operations. A furious Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he'll fight her in the appellate courts. And Peter Zimroth, former head of the city's legal department, stands ready to wander dutifully into the crossfire.

Appointed by Scheindlin to make the NYPD comply, Zimroth's job is to find ways to make the program work even as the city seeks to block her order and erase his authority. This sounds like mission impossible.

We know what we want to see. We want to see the NYPD move quickly to ensure that its stops are carried out in keeping with constitutional principles. We want to see a mayor's office that cooperates completely with the federal courts to hold confusion to a minimum as the NYPD adjusts to new practices. We want to see a judicial oversight process that keeps the NYPD on its toes without piling on excessive paperwork and other time-wasters.

But we might be dreaming.

The court and city lawyers are working out the basics of Zimroth's arrival on the scene and how he might do his job. When does he arrive? What's the time frame for his plan? When does the city file its appeal asking the courts to overturn Scheindlin and send Zimroth home? Who knows?

There are other questions. What about Scheindlin's idea to equip cops who make street stops with video cameras? Was that an order or a suggestion? Lawyers from the city are trying to figure it out. Whatever they decide, it sounds worth trying to us.

Long story short: There's a mountain of legal detail that needs parsing. Guided by Bloomberg, the city wants to block the court's order as soon as possible, but it has to put a solid case together first. Zimroth's City Hall background and legal expertise are major pluses -- but he'll need the subtle, perceptive skills of a diplomat and the patience of Job to hammer out a doable stop-and-frisk procedure that works for cops on the street, their bosses, the courts and the public. He'll need the support of all of us.