NYPD surveillance of Muslims not in violation of New Jersey laws

Washington, May 25 (ANI): New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's administration has said that the New York Police Department (NYPD) did not violate state laws when they conducted a surveillance of Muslim businesses, mosques and student groups.

The conclusion was drawn after a three-month fact-finding review was conducted under Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa supervision, Fox News reports.

He concluded that Muslims in New Jersey had no option to stop the NYPD from spying on student groups, making videos of mosque-goers or collecting their license plate numbers as they prayed.

The surveillance angered Muslim leaders, who had sought a clampdown on the cross-border police operations.

Such operations were part of a widespread NYPD program to collect intelligence on Muslim communities both inside and outside New York.

Undercover officers and informants spied in Muslim cafes and monitored sermons, even when there was no evidence of a crime against them.

Due to the surveillance, many innocent business owners, students and others were catalogued in police files.

"We remain committed to striking the appropriate balance of ensuring the safety of our citizens through vigilance in fighting terrorism, while not undermining the public's confidence in how we approach that mission," Chiesa said.

Authorities further found that New Jersey has no laws barring outside law enforcement agencies from secretly conducting operations in the state.

However, New York police have agreed to meet with New Jersey law enforcement regularly to discuss counter terrorism intelligence and operations, Chiesa said.

The Muslim leaders have, however, said that they would consider all legal options, including renewed appeals for the action by the U.S. Justice Department. (ANI)