New York City to Overhaul Spying Guidelines as Post-9/11 Suits Settled

The New York Police Department will install a civilian representative on a committee that oversees its terrorism investigations as part of the department’s settlement of two high-profile civil rights lawsuits that accused police of discriminating against Muslims after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US.

The agreement resolves the twin lawsuits filed against the NYPD for its controversial post-9/11 surveillance program focused on the Muslim community. Civil rights groups sued the agency in 2013 claiming it neglected the Handschu guidelines, a set of surveillance rules put in place in response to the surveillance of war protesters in the 1960s and '70s. Another lawsuit filed by a number of mosques, a charity and community leaders soon followed.

Under the settlement, filed in federal court on Thursday, the NYPD agreed to modify the Handschu guidelines so that they specifically prohibit investigations based on race, religion or ethnicity.

"This settlement is a win for all New Yorkers," said New York Civil Liberties Union Legal Director Arthur Eisenberg, as cited by the New York Daily News. "It will curtail practices that wrongly stigmatize individuals simply on the basis of their religion, race or ethnicity."

The settlement also requires that an independent monitor be appointed by City Hall to attend monthly internal meetings to review NYPD investigations. This monitor will have the authority to report any civil rights violations to the mayor or the court.

"We are committed to strengthening the relationship between our administration and communities of faith so that residents of every background feel respected and protected," Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement.

Law enforcement officials never admitted they illegally monitored Muslims, and said the settlement only formalizes what has already been in place.