New York Police Department expands surveillance post-9/11

The 20 years since the 9/11 attacks have fundamentally changed the way the New York Police Department operates, leading it to use facial recognition software, licence plate readers, and mobile X-ray vans, among other surveillance tools for both detecting and blocking potential terrorist attacks and solving minor crimes. Surveillance drones monitor mass protests, antiterrorism officers interrogate protesters, and the NYPD’s Intelligence Division uses antiterror tactics against gang violence and street crime. NYPD’s budget for intelligence and counterterrorism has more than quadrupled in those years, and New Yorkers, especially those of colour, now live under almost constant surveillance. In one case, the department settled a lawsuit alleging it had illegally spied on Muslim New Yorkers.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/08/nyregion/nypd-9-11-police-surveillance.html

Writer: Ali Watkins
Publication: New York Times
Publication date: 2021-09-08