Sunday, September 4, 2011

Should NYPD apologize for undercover cops in mosques?

From the Times Ledger:

City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) said he was shocked by a report that said the NYPD has sent undercover officers into Muslim neighborhoods in the city as a terrorist-prevention measure, even if there is no evidence of criminal activity.

The domestic surveillance operation was revealed in a report by the Associated Press last week.

“I really feel that that’s the role of the FBI and the CIA perhaps if, in fact, they have founded suspicions of terrorist activity,” said Dromm, who is chairman of the Council Immigration Committee.

The AP report said that under CIA veterans David Cohen and Larry Sanchez and with the approval of Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, the NYPD hired immigrant officers to monitor Muslim neighborhoods. The informants would monitor imams’ speeches but also locations such as ethnic bookstores, restaurants, cafés or hookah bars for any signs of radicalism, according to the AP.

Queens has large Muslim communities in Jackson Heights, Astoria and the Flushing area.

City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) said he believed the report was planted by federal agencies jealous of the NYPD’s success. He said the NYPD does not have the manpower to undertake phishing expeditions, but monitors chatter and websites that suggest terrorist activities and works from there. Vallone said the Council Public Safety Committee, which he chairs, also has oversight of all the NYPD’s activities except for those overseas.

“The NYPD is the most scrutinized police department in the world,” Vallone said.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why should they apologize?

We've read time-and-again of how these Islamic institutions can have extremists even if they don't actually advocate this and the individual perpetrators seem well integrated in the community.

This sort of quiet surveillance is to be expected when you have a threat to public safety.

Anonymous said...

Dromm should apologize for his stupidity and resign his office .if he can not adhere to the U.S.Constitution 's first priority to protect American citizens ,from the infiltration of enemy saboteurs, at a time of war with Al Qaeda.

Anonymous said...

Maybe if the murdering muslims first apologize to America for murdering 3,000 un armed civilians whose only crime was to wake up that morning and go to work, perhaps if they apologize for every time they've threatened "death to america" well maybe then we could apologize too. Until then, I say, good job NYPD.

Anonymous said...

Turns out since the NYPD recruits New Yorkers they have a diverse bunch of officers. Anyone who read the article would see that the officers sent to mosques and Muslim neighborhoods were often Muslim themselves. If it was such an offensive assignment perhaps the officers tasked with conducting the surveillance would have resigned. They didn't.

The NYPD does not need to apologize for doing what the NYPD should always do, recruit intelligence assets, gather intelligence and defend this city. Something Washington is incapable and unwilling to do.

Anonymous said...

The NYPD first has to apologize for beating citizens, drunk driving, and raping with impunity.

Anonymous said...

Americans need to get rid of their quaint notion that mosques as simply churches.

They are the center of life to the devout. They influence all areas of their lives including cultural and governmental. It is perfectly acceptable to store weapons in a mosque of use it as an operational base from which to conduct acts of violence.

Not exactly the Judeo-Christian idea of a church as a holy place.

Anonymous said...

They should definitely apologize for the thousands of lives they very likely have saved with their undercover operations!

Anonymous said...

If you aren't armed
in this city shame on you.If you don't think there are hundreds if not thousands of weapons stashed by these fanatics,i have a bridge for sale..................

Anonymous said...

Dromm should apologize for his stupidity and resign his office .if he can not adhere to the U.S.Constitution 's first priority to protect American citizens

--- his first priority is to "Honest Joe' Crowley, not anything else. He comes from a culture, and indeed, owes his power to, a group that values discipline to the clubhouse ... everything else is merely window dressing.

Deke DaSilva said...

Why does Daniel "Dromm-A Queen" continually defend a religion that wouldn't hesitate to execute him for his lifestyle?

Doesn't he realize that in Iran or Saudi Arabia, he'd be first in line for a stoning? (And I'm not talking about medical marijuana!)

Anonymous said...

a strong defense is the best offense.
the world states that have weakened their nations defense, in the past, have had to be freed from totalitarian conquest,by the free world states.

the nyc p.d. working undercover at islamic mosques,where history warns us that Al Queda terrorists infiltrate, is for local citizens protection.

i endorse this program .the P.D.has nothing to apologize for.

there are those among us who advocate for a separate state government with "SHARIA LAW".

google: H.RAPP BROWN aka Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, former Black Panther terrorist in the 1960's & now member of "UMMAH",Black Muslim Grp.

Anonymous said...

He's irrelevant to this issue, Gramps. Beyond that, he's in jail doing a life sentence (as he should be).