Mayor Michael Bloomberg stopped by a Brooklyn church this morning to give his take on the NYPD's controversial stop-and-frisk policy.Speaking at the First Baptist Church of Brownsville, Bloomberg called the policy a valuable crime-fighting tool that deters citizens from carrying weapons. Acknowledging some concerns, the mayor says the policy "should be mended, but not ended."

Critics and civil rights advocates have slammed the police policy, saying it often equates to racial profiling.Congregation members say they were happy to welcome the mayor to their church, noting he's only the third mayor to stop by in the church's history.It's estimated that one in three people in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Brownsville have been subjected to the NYPD's stop-and-frisk policy.Protesters gather in DUMBO against stop-and-friskNYCLU launches stop-and-frisk appNYCLU: Stop-and-frisk policy ineffective, racially motivated