SURVEILLANCE OF MUSLIM GROUPS BY NYPD CHALLENGED

The New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on Oct. 3 challenging the New York Police Department’s surveillance of some Muslim groups.

The NYCLU asked a judge to allow investigation into whether the NYPD violated existing court orders on surveillance of political and religious groups. The NYCLU and civil rights lawyers filed papers to “initiate a discovery process” to determine if restrictions on the law governing surveillance by the NYPD were violated. The NYCLU also asked the court to order the NYPD to preserve records of their surveillance of Muslim groups.

In a statement, NYCLU Legal Director Arthur Eisenberg said, “The NYPD’s reported surveillance of local Muslim communities raises serious questions concerning whether the Police Department has violated court-ordered restrictions on its ability to spy on and keep dossiers on individuals.”

The lawsuit stems from reported accounts of surveillance tactics and procedures conducted by the NYPD in the press.