N.J. operations by NYPD exceeded orders, former governor says

Former N.J. Gov. Dick Codey says executive orders he signed seven years ago did not give the New York City Police Department the authority to conduct a spy operation in New Jersey.

Codey signed the orders in 2005 after terrorists bombed subway trains and a bus in London. He said those orders granted only limited rights for the NYPD to operate in New Jersey by providing enhanced security on trains and ferries.

“The executive order says nothing about espionage in mosques or on college campuses or any kind of spying in any way, shape, or form,” said Codey, who served as governor for about a year following the resignation of Gov. Jim McGreevey.

Codey condemns NYPD spying on Muslims in Newark, saying any kind of racial profiling is absolutely wrong. He said he advocates an investigation to determine whether the surveillance was legal.

The widespread surveillance by the NYPD came to light through an Associated Press investigation. It found that New York police monitored mosques, businesses and even college groups, some of them in New Jersey.