August 26, 2011

NYPD commissioner Raymond Kelly

Earlier this week, a series of articles exposed a dubious relationship between the New York Police Department (NYPD) and CIA on domestic intelligence gathering. One of the most disturbing aspects of the article was that with the help of the CIA, NYPD conducted a campaign to monitor mosques and mapped Muslim majority neighborhoods to observe what they deemed hot spots of terrorist activity, ranging from local bookstores to Internet and hookah cafés. NYPD commissioner, Raymond Kelly confirmed the reports on Thursday citing that a CIA officer is indeed working out of police headquarters.

CIA involvement in domestic spying is a clear violation against laws established to protect and preserve the liberties afforded to us through the Constitution. According to Executive Order 12333, “the CIA is restricted in the collection of intelligence information directed against US citizens;” furthermore, the “CIA is specifically prohibited from collecting foreign intelligence concerning the domestic activities of US citizens.”

While the Muslim Public Affairs Council supports efforts to further our national security goals, the seemingly problematic crossroads of the CIA and NYPD blurs the line that both Congress and the Executive have drawn for our foreign and domestic intelligence framework. The fact that the CIA is involved in domestic spying is inherently antithetical to the mission of the agency; for the CIA to be involved in such a thing should be concerning to all Americans as it sets a dangerous precedence for law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

In fact, the NYPD, with assistance from the CIA, had set up clandestine efforts to map out neighborhoods and communities based on ethnicities in search of hot beds of radical activity and thought. This in essence, is profiling, which is prohibited by law.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) along with local law enforcement agencies have the mandate to conduct both intelligence and counterterrorism operations domestically; furthermore, the Attorney General has a set of guidelines that restrict intelligence gathering activities which the FBI must abide by. This, and congressional oversight ensures that the FBI work within that framework, whereas NYPD operates largely on its own. The FBI’s director is regularly asked to testify on Capitol Hill and is questioned on civil liberties based on citizen inquiries.

The severely skewed notion that protecting the country involves spying on its own citizens is quite concerning. The cross section of civil liberties and national security has always been a hazy line; however, now, more than ever, we must call on communities to be part of the solution in national security efforts and at the same time, agencies such as the CIA, should relegate its resources to where its jurisdiction lies — outside of the domestic setting. Within the United States, local law enforcement agencies, such as the NYPD, need more stringent checks to ensure that the privacy and liberties of all Americans is protected.

Rather than continuing the dialogue on the mutual exclusivity of national security and civil liberties, we should engage in a discussion and create a shift in consciousness on the mutually beneficial nature of upholding both civil liberties and rights and supporting national security measures.