Michael Bloomberg

New Jersey lawmakers are trying to require law enforcement agencies from elsewhere to give notice when they plan to conduct counterterrorism surveillance in the state, a measure prompted by revelations about New York City police spying on Muslims.The impetus for the proposal, which passed a Senate committee Monday, came from a series of articles by The Associated Press that revealed the NYPD operated secretly in New Jersey neighborhoods where Muslims lived and worked. They spied on Muslim organizations, infiltrated Muslim student groups and videotaped mosque-goers.The NYPD has said its operations were lawful and necessary to keep the city safe. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said the NYPD can gather intelligence anywhere in the country it wants and is not required to tell local authorities.But the NYPD did not violate any state laws because New Jersey has none that bar outside law enforcement agencies from secretly conducting operations within its borders, a review last year...

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