NYPD Commissioner Insists Muslim Intelligence-Gathering is Legal

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly is once again insisting that the NYPD's intelligence-gathering in Muslim communities in New York City and elsewhere is legal.

Kelly said Thursday night on NY1 television that a series of stories by The Associated Press has unfairly "attacked" the NYPD by mischaracterizing the department's tactics as spying.

New Jersey politicians and civil rights advocates have said they were alarmed by an AP report detailing how the NYPD mapped and photographed Muslim-owned businesses and other locations in Newark, N.J.

Kelly said the operation fell within the guidelines set by a federal court decree and by the Department of Justice. He said such efforts are needed to help protect the city from terror threats.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)