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NYPD Spying Scandal: A New Front in the Battle for Transparency
In a move that promises to further expose the deep-seated issues within the NYPD's Intelligence Division, a New Jersey resident has filed a lawsuit alleging ongoing surveillance of Muslim communities. The case is expected to pose a test for mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's law enforcement policies and bring much-needed transparency to a department shrouded in controversy.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is facing calls for transparency and accountability amid allegations of ongoing surveillance of Muslim communities. A lawsuit has been filed by Samir Hashmi, who previously sued the NYPD over its "mosque-raking" program, alleging that weekly intelligence summaries, profiles of targeted organizations, and reports on specific mosques are being withheld. The mosque-raking program, which was halted over a decade ago, still raises concerns about Islamophobia in the city, with recent incidents involving police commissioners' family members and Queens councilwoman Vickie Paladino. Muhammad Faridi, civilian representative to the NYPD's consent decree, has commented on Muslim communities being questioned by unidentified law enforcement agents, highlighting potential issues with surveillance operations.
The recent resurgence of calls for transparency and accountability within the New York City Police Department (NYPD) has taken on a new dimension, with a lawsuit filed by a New Jersey resident alleging ongoing surveillance of Muslim communities. Samir Hashmi, who previously sued the NYPD over its infamous "mosque-raking" program during the Michael Bloomberg era, has restarted his research into the Intelligence Division's activities in 2023, prompted by the NYPD's violent crackdown on protests and mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's decision to retain Jessica Tisch as police commissioner.
Hashmi's lawsuit, filed under the New York Freedom of Information Law, seeks weekly intelligence summaries, profiles of specific organizations targeted by the Intelligence Division, and reports on particular mosques. His petition cites specific intelligence reports from that period published 14 years ago by the Associated Press, which were used in his original unsuccessful lawsuit. The NYPD rejected his FOIL and subsequent appeal, citing a "Glomar" response, neither confirming nor denying the existence of such records.
The mosque-raking program, infamous for its blanket surveillance of local Muslim and Arab communities following the September 11, 2001, attacks, is still shrouded in controversy. The demographics unit mapped out New York City's various ethnic enclaves of Muslim and Middle Eastern communities, while undercover cops and informants infiltrated mosques, cafés, soccer leagues, and student associations to catch alleged terrorist plots before they came to fruition. Despite the manpower and funding devoted to the spying program, the NYPD's demographics unit failed to generate a single lead on potential terrorism plots, by the department's own admission.
Even though the mosque-raking program was halted over a decade ago, Islamophobia remains prevalent among segments of the city. Just this month, the police commissioner's brother called Mamdani an "enemy" of the Jewish people, and Queens councilwoman Vickie Paladino posted anti-Muslim screeds on social media, including a call for the "expulsion of Muslims from western nations." While Paladino deleted the initial posts, she told reporters, "They can call me Islamophobic if they want—the word has no meaning whatsoever. This isn’t 2008."
Hashmi's allegations of ongoing surveillance echo comments in federal court in early 2025 by Muhammad Faridi, the civilian representative to the NYPD's consent decree who oversees its political surveillance operations. Faridi said Muslim communities have continually reported being questioned by unidentified law enforcement agents. The report also points out that the local Joint Terrorism Task Force is not bound by the court strictures on NYPD surveillance.
The NYPD and mayor-elect Mamdani did not respond to requests for comment. Hashmi's case will pose a test for Mamdani's law enforcement policies, as he spoke out vocally against the NYPD's spying on Muslim New Yorkers during a successful election campaign that coaxed those very communities to turn out in record numbers.
"Why is NYPD still fighting a glorified Sunday school teacher so hard after 20 years?" Hashmi said. "What do they have to hide?"
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/NYPD-Spying-Scandal-A-New-Front-in-the-Battle-for-Transparency-ehn.shtml
Published: Wed Dec 24 12:22:18 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
