US Rep. King slams ending spying on American Muslims

A US Republican Representative has criticized NYPD’s decision to shut down the surveillance program that monitored New York City’s Muslims.

“I would say these programs have worked. I feel strongly they have,” Rep. Peter King (R-NY) said on Wednesday. “I believe they have tremendous respect for constitutional rights.”

New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton on April 15 announced the disbanding of the controversial spying program on Muslim communities in the city.

The NYPD’s Demographics Unit sent plainclothes officers to Muslim communities to eavesdrop on them.

“The reality is the threat is going to come from the Muslim community,” King said.

“Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of Muslims are good Americans, but the fact is the Islamic terrorist threat comes from the Muslim community and good detective work is knowing who is in that community.”

“I think the threat today is more dangerous than it was on 9/11,” King added.

King also called The New York Times’ reporting on the issue over the last few years “shameful,” adding that the newspaper has “attacked the NYPD.”

The AP first revealed in 2011 that the NYPD was spying on Muslims in the city. The new documents show that the department investigated countless innocent New York Muslims and put information about them in secret police files.

The spying program was strongly criticized by civil rights groups. Muslims say the program, known as the Demographics Unit, was a sign that the police viewed their every action with suspicion.

The Demographics Unit dates to 2003 and was renamed the Zone Assessment Unit in recent years.