Los Angeles drops Muslim mapping plan

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles Police Department has halted a program aimed at mapping the city's Muslim population after protests from Muslim groups and civil libertarians.

The police department, which had earlier claimed the program was necessary to identify possible locations of extremist activity, abruptly reversed course Wednesday and announced the program has been scrapped, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

Critics of the program had said it amounted to a form of religious profiling.

Deputy Chief Michael Downing said that while the mapping program has been canceled, the city will continue efforts to reach out to the city's Muslim community. Downing and other police officials were scheduled to meet with local Muslim activists Thursday to outline their new plan.