New York City Democratic mayoral frontrunners Eric Adams and Andrew Yang clashed over a key police endorsement on Wednesday night during a heated final debate that focused heavily on the city’s escalating violent crime crisis.

Adams and Yang are among the Democratic candidates who have called for tougher police tactics to crack down on crime in the city.

Yang was asked to explain why he should be trusted to address crime as mayor over Adams, a former captain in the New York City Police Department.

In response, Yang, who has been critical of Adams throughout the Democratic primary campaign, noted the Captains Endowment Association opted to endorse him for mayor.

Questions about New York City’s crime wave dominated the first hour of the debate, which featured the top eight Democratic mayoral candidates.

Several Democratic candidates, including NYC comptroller Scott Stringer, civil rights attorney Maya Wiley and nonprofit executive Dianne Morales, have called for police budget cuts.

Recent polls show Adams, Yang, Garcia and Wiley among the top contenders for the Democratic mayoral nomination