Update: NPD Had no Knowledge of Muslim Surveillance, Booker Says

The state branch of the American Civil Liberties Union spoke out against a surveillance program of Newark Muslims by the New York City Police Department in 2007. The program, made public following a report by the Associated Press, involved communities and colleges across the Northeast, including Rutgers University.

According to published reports, the program was carried out with the cooperation of the Newark Police Department, although Mayor Cory Booker has said both he and local police were unaware precisely what the NYPD was doing in the city.

 “These actions represent a violation of the public trust and raise red flags about religious discrimination and targeting by law enforcement. The ACLU will join with citizens and organizations across the state who object to this rights violation to discover its reach, hold those responsible accountable and ensure an end to such programs,” ACLU executive director Deborah Jacobs said. 

 A city spokesman said today that Newark police had merely received a "courtesy call" from the NYPD infrorming them that the out-of-state law enforcement agency was sending plainclothes officers into Newark.

"The Newark Police Department was not involved in joint operations with the New York Police Department as was described in the disclosed NYPD report. What we are discovering appears to be an NYPD operation in our city that involved the blanket surveillance of Newark residents and workers based solely on the religion of those individuals," Booker said in a statement emailed to media.

"If this is indeed what transpired, it is, I believe, a clear infringement on the core liberties of our citizenry. I strongly believe that we must be vigilant in protecting our citizens from crime and terrorism but to put large segments of a religious community under surveillance with no legitimate cause or provocation clearly crosses a line.  My administration will call on the Attorney General's Office to investigate so that we can better understand what actually happened and why, as well as to ensure that our residents are protected from future infringements on civil liberties by law enforcement personnel from any jurisdiction,” Booker added.

The NYPD has been carrying out extensive anti-terror operations since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been quoted defending the surveillance of the region's Muslim communities.