--- description: The program created in 2003 to collect information about Muslim communities attracted criticism from the FBI and never produced any leads title: NYPD ends controversial program that spied on Muslims image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7fa522cbf91c567d/69868ad8cd804d2b68cca52d/nypd2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [National Security](/tag/national-security/) ## National Security Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # NYPD Nixes Muslim Spy Unit  by [Nolan Feeney](/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 15, 2014 11:49 PM CUT  A New York City police officer stands in Times Square on Aug. 12, 2013 in New York City. A New York City police officer stands in Times Square on Aug. 12, 2013 in New York City.Spencer Platt—Getty Images  by [Nolan Feeney](/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 15, 2014 11:49 PM CUT The New York Police Department has shuttered [a program designed to spy on Muslim communities](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/16/nyregion/police-unit-that-spied-on-muslims-is-disbanded.html?smid=tw-bna "undefined"), the department announced on Tuesday. The surveillance initiative, which began in 2003 and was once known as the Demographics Unit, sent detectives into neighborhoods with Muslim populations to eavesdrop on conversations and record detailed information about where and how Muslims spent their time. The decision to end the program signifies a re-evaluation of the department’s post-9/11 intelligence policies by the city’s new police commissioner, William Bratton, the New York _Times_ reports. The department’s activities attracted both criticism from the FBI and civil rights organizations as well as multiple federal lawsuits. “The Demographics Unit created psychological warfare in our community,” Linda Sarsour, of the Arab American Association of New York, told the _Times_. “Those documents, they showed where we live. That’s the café where I eat. That’s where I pray. That’s where I buy my groceries. They were able to see their entire lives on those maps. And it completely messed with the psyche of the community.” The NYPD has admitted that its tactics never generated a lead about possible terrorist activity. \[[_NYT_](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/16/nyregion/police-unit-that-spied-on-muslims-is-disbanded.html?smid=tw-bna "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/64267/new-york-police-muslim-spy-program-ends/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/64267/new-york-police-muslim-spy-program-ends/"},"headline":"NYPD Nixes Muslim Spy Unit","datePublished":"2014-04-15T23:49:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:19:32.125Z","description":"Authorities have ended a widely criticized surveillance initiative that collected details about Muslim communities after a re-evaluation by the city's new police commissioner. 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