9 Secrets of the NYPD’s Spy Unit Revealed in ‘Enemies Within’
4. They exploited Middle-Eastern looking men to use as undercover officers (whom they nicknamed “rakers”)
In order to successfully infiltrate Muslim communities in Brooklyn and Queens, the NYPD needed Middle Eastern-looking officers who could (and were willing to) blend in. Unlike the CIA, whose new officers were subject to top-secret security clearance, the NYPD had access to a hotbed of middle class workers, many of whom could speak Arabic. Since the men didn’t have to—officially— take on a different identity, they were not considered “undercover” by the NYPD. Because they were the ones “raking in the coals,” they were nicknamed “rakers.” (Later, some were referred to as “mosque crawlers”).
5. They sent “rakers” into restaurants, delis, barber shops, and gyms to spy on potential terrorists
Each day, a set of two rakers (they worked in pairs) would leave the intelligence office and head to different places in Muslim communities across New York City: restaurants, mosques, gyms, Internet cafes, etc. The rakers’ job was not only to “look like any other young man,” but to talk with whomever they met and determine two things: their ethnicity (Pakistani? Moroccan?) and mood (in the NYPD’s terminology this is called “gauging sentiment”). Once they had those nailed down, the rakers would talk to whoever they’d met, buy their products, and connect with them. What were these people talking about? Was Al Jazeera playing on TV? Were they selling fake IDs? Is there a computer, and if so, have they been watching Jihadist videos? All of these details would be cataloged in a report that they’d send to Sanchez.
Over time, the rakers were used to target different groups in NYC based on world events. “If there was a car bombing in Lebanon, a Predator drone strike in Pakistan, or a firefight in Afghanistan, the rakers would be in those neighborhoods, gauging sentiment and reporting back.” The NYPD hoped this would stop terrorist activity in its tracks. “If people in a Pakistani barber shop were enraged over a drone attack that killed nearby civilians, it might be a warning sign that retaliation was imminent.”