NEWARK, N.J. – New Jersey's attorney general has assured a group of Muslim leaders that a New York Police Department unit that conducted surveillance of Muslims is no longer operating in the state.
A spokesman for Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa (kee-AY'-sah) confirmed that Chiesa told a private meeting of New Jersey law enforcement officials and Muslim leaders Wednesday that the NYPD's Demographics Unit had ceased operating in New Jersey.
The existence of the unit, revealed in a series by The Associated Press, angered many Muslims.
The NYPD has defended its surveillance of Muslims in New Jersey as legal, and Chiesa has said New York City police did not violate New Jersey laws.
NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who has defended the program, said Wednesday he wasn't aware of the New Jersey meeting.
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