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NYPD Clashes With Justice on Surveillance

Cops say feds blunt anti-terror efforts; AG testy in series of letters

By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 20, 2008 10:24 AM CST
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(Newser) – The Department of Justice has firmly rejected efforts by the New York Police Department to relax restrictions on eavesdropping, triggering a war of words between the agencies’ heads, the New York Times reports. The NYPD wants broader latitude for electronic surveillance, and less red tape for its requests, but Justice insists that expansion would hinder, rather than help, efforts to stop terrorists.

NYPD commissioner Raymond Kelly, whose department itself cannot obtain warrants from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, accuses Attorney General Michael Mukasey, in a series of testy letters, of making the public more vulnerable to terror attacks. Mukasey says NYPD’s requests have often been shaky, and urging FISA courts to speed such requests will ultimately bog down the system and slow intelligence-gathering.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg addresses the media alongside NYC Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg addresses the media alongside NYC Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.   (AP Photo)
Attorney General Michael Mukasey presides over a graduation ceremony for FBI Special Agents in Quantico, Va., with President Bush, not pictured, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008.
Attorney General Michael Mukasey presides over a graduation ceremony for FBI Special Agents in Quantico, Va., with President Bush, not pictured, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Attorney General Michael Mukasey, in a letter to NYPD chief Raymond Kelly, said 'doubtful applications' for surveillance would occasion more scrutiny throughout the system, bogging it down.
Attorney General Michael Mukasey, in a letter to NYPD chief Raymond Kelly, said 'doubtful applications' for surveillance would occasion more scrutiny throughout the system, bogging it down.   (AP Photo)
New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly complained to US Attorney General Michael Mukasey that bureaucracy was hindering his department's efforts to obtain surveillance warrants.
New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly complained to US Attorney General Michael Mukasey that bureaucracy was hindering his department's efforts to obtain surveillance warrants.   (AP Photo)
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More on the conflict, plus Mukasey's and Kelly's letters
Wall Street Journal

NYPD opens new security center downtown
Fox News

 
Department of Justice • NYPD • New York • FISA • Michael Mukasey • eavesdropping • electronic surveillance laws • police department • Raymond Kelly

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