Secret NYPD Unit Spies on Muslim Neighbors

An intelligence program that the NYPD says doesn't exist has been spying on people in Muslim neighborhoods. According to internal police documents obtained by the Associated Press, after identifying "hot spots" (say, Little Pakistan), officers were told to "participate in social activities such as cricket matches and visit cafes and clubs" to not only find evidence of terrorism and crimes, but get a feeling for neighborhood sentiment about America.

However, the NYPD insists they don't send undercover officers anyplace without prior information of illegal activity. Like the FBI, they can't do that legally.

The papers also note that the secret unit had officers who spoke a range of languages including Arabic, Bengali, Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu. I wonder if these officers were raised speaking those languages, or learned them at some point in training. Imagine grabbing a samosa at Bukhari and overhearing Urdu being spoken in a thick Brooklyn accent? Undercover fail.

Of course, the NYPD argues, spying sometimes works. In 2004, they paid a confidential informant who helped stop an terrorist attack on the subway system--which potentially saved a lot of lives, though it seems to have come at a great cost to the informant.

Representative Yvette Clarke was found for a quote for the story, and she says she's calling on the Justice Department to investigate this program.

Councilmember Brad Lander has also voiced his concerns, calling for the City Council to help establish oversight for the NYPD’s intelligence and counter-terrorism units.

"Because the NYPD has correctly decided New York City requires an intelligence gathering division on par with federal intelligence agencies, the City also needs a framework for appropriate legislative oversight that is on par with the federal level," he said in a statement last week. "I believe the Council can create a framework that ensures that the sensitive details of the NYPD's intelligence work remain confidential so that we support the important mission of protecting our city from terrorism while allowing for necessary legislative oversight."