The New York City Police Department dropped its surveillance program that placed undercover detectives in Muslim neighborhoods on April 15. Formerly called the Demographics Unit, the Zone Assessment Unit has been a secret weapon in the NYPD’s counterterrorism efforts since 2003. The program’s exit comes amid public criticism, protests by Muslim rights groups and federal lawsuits. However, talk has circulated that the NYPD has little intention to stop deploying officers into Muslim areas in the city — it merely plans to do so without an official label.

The Zone Assessment Unit’s undercover investigations were anything but conventional. Plainclothes detectives were supposedly trying to find where terrorists would blend into society so they could discover terrorist plots early. The unit mapped Muslim communities within the city and spied on individuals without any justification. Police eavesdropped on conversations in stores and recorded where people pray. Perhaps this blatant disregard for personal privacy could be warranted if it actually helped prevent a terrorist attack, but it did not. For all the resources wasted on the unit, no leads were found.

The news of the disbandment of the controversial unit will also have the byproduct of improving policing tactics. Despite the abrasive strategies of the NYPD, the American-Muslim community has still served a useful function as confidential informants, providing important data about radicalism in the community. A new report from the Muslim American National Opinion Survey points toward a promising trend with increased levels in reporting and liaising with the NYPD specifically correlated to the level of fairness given to the American-Muslim community in relation to other demographics.

While the move to abandon the controversial unit will likely improve NYPD’s public image, it fails to reflect a significant change in policy. Even if efforts are not officially labeled as the Zone Assessment Unit, the NYPD still plans to investigate any perceived threats to public safety. The anti-Muslim paranoia still exists and as a result, undercover officers will continue targeting Muslim neighborhoods for their counterterrorism activities. Dissolving the unit only signifies an improvement in the ineffective discriminatory policy. Unless officers alter their investigative practices as well, the animosity will remain.

Since NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton retook office, he has made promising advances in repairing the NYPD’s image with the public. Tuesday’s decision is a welcomed announcement from the commissioner. Changing the way an institution runs, such as the NYPD, is not an easy task, especially given that the NYPD is larger than some nations’ armies. Bratton is prepared, better than most, to accomplish the task. However, he must ensure that lofty rhetoric of improved policing standards are soldered together with substantive policy change.

A version of this article appeared in the Thursday, April 17 print edition. Email the WSN Editorial Board at [email protected].