“New York City is NOT foreign country with its own intelligence rules and operations, even though Bloomberg likes to think so.’
If however they were ONLY gathering information there should be no problem. If on the other hand they were making arrests or obtaining information which could only be obtained via a warrant then yes there is a problem.
Feigned outrage over information gathering might make for increased paper sales but then again we know the media is not a friend or defender of the country. They would hide a planned attack by mudslimes if it would increase readership.
If they were not conducting "official investigations," on behalf of the NYPD, they were operating in the capacity of private investigators. In NJ, a Private Detective license is required to receive payment for investigations into any of the following:
(1) crime or wrong done or threatened or assumed to have been done or threatened against the Government of the United States of America, or any State, Territory or Possession of the United States of America;
(2) the identity, habits, conduct, movements, whereabouts, affiliations, associations, transactions, reputation or character of any person, association, organization, society or groups of persons, firms or corporations;
(3) the credibility of witnesses or other persons;
(4) the whereabouts of missing persons;
(5) the location or recovery of lost or stolen property;
(6) the causes and origin of, or responsibility for, fires, libels, accidents, damage, injuries or losses to persons, firms, associations or corporations, or to real or personal property;
(7) the affiliation, connection or relation of any person, firm or corporation with any organization, society, association, or with any official member or representative thereof;
(8) with reference to the conduct, honesty, efficiency, loyalty or activities of employees, agents, contractors and subcontractors;
(9) the securing of evidence to be used before any investigating committee, board of award, board of arbitration, or in the trial of any civil or criminal cause; provided, however, that the term shall not include a person, firm, association or corporation engaged exclusively in the business of making investigations and reports as to the financial standing, credit and financial responsibility of persons, firms, associations or corporations nor to electrically controlled burglar or fire alarm system with a central unit, nor to any person, firm, association or corporation engaged in the business of making reports for insurance or credit purposes. Also it shall mean the furnishing for hire or reward of watchmen or guards or private patrolmen or other persons to protect persons or property, either real or personal, or for any other purpose whatsoever. The term shall not include and nothing in this act shall apply to any lawful activity of any board, body, commission or agency of the United States of America or of any State, Territory or Possession of the United States of America, or any county, municipality, school district, or any officer or employee solely, exclusively and regularly employed by any of the foregoing; nor to any attorney or counsellor-at-law in connection with the regular practice of his profession, nor to any person employed by any such attorney or counsellor-at-law when engaged upon his employer's business; nor to any employee, investigator or investigators solely, exclusively and regularly employed by any person, firm, association or corporation which is not engaged in any of the businesses hereinbefore described in items numbered one to nine, both inclusive, of this subSection in so far as their acts may relate solely to the business of the respective employers; nor to any person, firm, association or corporation licensed to do a business of insurance of any nature under the insurance laws of this State, nor to any employee or licensed agent thereof; nor to any person, firm, association or corporation conducting any investigation solely for its own account.
The kicker is that Law Enforcement personnel who are employed by a law enforcement agency can not concurrently hold a PI license or conduct private investigations in NJ.