Civil rights attorneys who have been fighting for 42 years to limit the NYPD‘s surveillance powers have filed papers in federal court asking a judge to prevent the department‘s practice of indiscriminately spying on Muslim communities and appoint an independent auditor to ensure the department complies with the law. “Investigations of any community which are not based upon indications of crime create fear and erode the confidence of a community in the power of a legal system to protect it,” attorney and NYU law professor Paul Chevigny said in a release.