New York Police Department disbands spy unit

New York: The New York police said on Tuesday that they had disbanded a deeply controversial and heavily criticized unit that sent undercover officers to spy on local Muslims.

Civil liberty groups welcomed the move, but called on New York authorities to address the damage exerted by unjustified spying based solely on religion.

The decision by America’s largest police force is the first sign that new commissioner William Bratton is moving away from some of the post-9/11 intelligence-gathering practices of his predecessor, The New York Times reported.

Police said that the Zone Assessment Unit, previously known as the Demographics Unit, had been largely inactive since January and that personnel had now been reassigned to other duties within police intelligence.

“Understanding certain local demographics can be a useful factor when assessing information regarding potential threats coming to the attention of the New York City Police Department,” it said in a statement.

“It has been determined that much of the same information previously gathered by the Zone Assessment Unit may be obtained through direct outreach by the New York Police Department to the  individuals of the communities concerned ,” the elite police departmant said in the statement.