Editorial : Attorney general’s involvement in investigation to bring clarity
U.S Attorney General Eric Holder is looking into an investigation conducted by the New York Police Department that monitored several Muslim students associations, including the one at Syracuse University.
The news of the investigation broke in February. At a subsequent Senate Appropriations Committee meeting, Holder called the events disturbing. He later announced his office is looking into concerns. Both the NYPD and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg have defended the investigation, saying it was within NYPD’s legal limits.
That someone is looking into the NYPD investigation is welcome news, and it is hoped the attorney general’s investigation will bring more light to the situation. If Holder’s office finds wrongdoing with the investigation, they must carry out the appropriate sanctions. The NYPD’s intelligence unit currently operates without any outside oversight.
The gravity of the situation is intensified with the U.S. attorney general’s involvement as it signifies a change from the past 10 years. It is uncommon for the attorney general to get involved with situations like this. In the past, federal agents have used civil rights to investigate police abuse. But during the last decade, federal agents have not been involved with the police department’s counterterrorism efforts.
As long as the attorney general’s office acts efficiently, the claims and confusion about the investigation can be put to rest.
