(NJ Gov.) Christie Accepts Monitoring of Muslims

Source: AP

The New York City police did not violate New Jersey laws when they conducted cross-border surveillance of Muslim businesses, mosques and student groups, Gov. Chris Christie’s administration said Thursday.

The determination, by the state attorney general, concerned tactics of the New York Police Department like videotaping mosque-goers and collecting their license plate numbers.

Such operations were part of a Police Department program to collect intelligence on Muslim communities in New York and beyond, even when there was no evidence of a crime.

Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa, met with Muslim leaders on Thursday to outline the findings. Afterward, one of the leaders, Aref Assaf of the American Arab Forum, said, “I said to him it’s not only insulting, it’s offensive to our sense of justice, that you bring us to Trenton to tell us that you accept as legal and valid the actions of the N.Y.P.D.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/25/nyregion/christie-accepts-new-yorks-monitoring-of-muslims.html