House Dems Slam Bloomberg Over NYPD Muslim Spying

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats are criticizing New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg for what they called his “underhanded and unprofessional” response to criticism of the New York Police Department’s spying programs.

The Associated Press has reported that the NYPD spied on Muslims neighborhoods, using informants and undercover officers in mosques and businesses in New York and New Jersey. Police documented details of sermons, even when they were innocuous, and infiltrated Muslim college groups. NYPD officers catalogued where Muslims ate and prayed and targeted Mosques using techniques typically reserved for criminal investigations.

In a March 22 letter to Bloomberg, the lawmakers called for an end to what they said was the NYPD’s out-of-state spying. Lawmakers say they’re troubled by the tactics.

Bloomberg says the NYPD’s actions are legal.