FBI Beefing With NYPD For Spying On Muslims

Fed tell the cops, "hey, that's our job"

Pot, meet kettle. Kettle, meet pot.

The New Jersey office of the FBI has a bone to pick with the NYPD. They don't appreciate them spying on Muslims for "counter terrorism intelligence." Note, the feds are mad because it's not nice to spy on Muslims. No, they are mad because the NYPD is messing it up for them and making their job harder.

“What we’re seeing now with the uproar that is occurring in New Jersey is that we’re starting to see cooperation pulled back. People are concerned that they’re being followed. People are concerned that they can’t trust law enforcement,” says FBI Newark Special Agent in Charge Michael Ward to CBS News.

They are right. Nothing sacrifices trust like finding out that you're being followed by someone that's saying "hey, you can trust me." That's why you're supposed to do it in private, like the FBI.

Ward adds that with the NYPD following Muslims across state lines and spying on mosques and Muslim-owned businesses, it makes it hard to get otherwise willing members of the community to cooperate with Muslim surveillance of their own. 

“It’s starting to have a negative impact. When people pull back cooperation it creates additional risks. It creates blind spots. It hinders our ability to have our finger on the pulse of what’s going on around the state,” Ward says.

In case you haven't noticed, the NYPD isn't too good at admitting when they are wrong and don't take too kindly to criticism either. And with Mayor Michael Bloomberg's backing, don't expect them to stop following Muslims anytime soon.

On top of the FBI being mad at them, NYPD is also catching the ire of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who doesn't appreciate them crossing over into his territory either.

“I’m not saying they don’t belong in New Jersey, but tell us! Share it with the appropriate law enforcement agency,” Christie said, adding that the feels like the NYPD thinks they are the world's policemen. “My concern is this kind of obsession that the NYPD seems to have that they’re the masters of the universe.”

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