A federal judge in Manhattan, citing what he called “fundamental changes in the threats to public security,” agreed to modify a longstanding court order that had restricted the New York Police Department’s ability to conduct surveillance of political groups. The police had argued that the restrictions were making it hard to look into terrorism, because they required evidence of a crime to initiate an investigation. That requirement is being relaxed, to allow greater flexibility for the police. The original rules were imposed as part of a 1985 consent decree, the Handschu agreement, which was named for the first listed plaintiff in a 1971 lawsuit over harassment of political advocacy groups by the department’s so-called Red Squad. Full Story