Muslim student associations at several New Jersey universities have signed a letter asking New York’s attorney general to investigate reports of secret surveillance of Muslim communities by the NYPD.

A Feb. 20 letter from the president of the Association of Muslim American Lawyers cites a series of stories by The Associated Press detailing the monitoring or recommended surveillance of Muslims by the NYPD.

Documents obtained by the AP show the NYPD conducted surveillance and monitoring of Muslim student groups at Rutgers University, among more than a dozen schools in the Northeast.

In Connecticut, the president of Yale University objected to the monitoring, saying the university’s police department was not involved.

NYPD Spokesman Paul Browne says the department considered it prudent to monitor student groups after a dozen people arrested or convicted on terrorism charges were found to be former members of Muslim student associations.

(Source: NBC New York)