פאליס הייסט סקווירא פרוי אראפצונעמען אירע שייטל

RAMAPO - The town supervisor yesterday sharply criticized a police officer for fingerprinting a Hasidic Jewish woman and ordering her to remove her wig for a mug shot following her arrest.

Shifra Cohen, 23, of Grove Street in Monsey was arrested Thursday on a felony charge of first-degree welfare fraud.

With calls for a protest against the police by some Hasidim, Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence apologized to the community.

"This was an insensitive action by the police officer," St. Lawrence said at a community safety event at Weldler Park in Monsey. "I sincerely hope that the community will accept my heartfelt apologies for the insensitive behavior that occurred."

St. Lawrence said there will be additional sensitivity training on religious and ethnic issues for the department's 126 officers.

Wearing a wig or scarf to cover their hair is an expression of modesty for married Hasidic Jewish women. And Hasidic women don't touch men other than their husbands and relatives.

St. Lawrence said a female officer should have processed the woman, as she requested.

Ramapo union officials criticized St. Lawrence for his comments and defended the actions of the officer, whom St. Lawrence identified as Jonathan Quinn.

Police Benevolent Association President Dennis Procter said the officer didn't violate any laws or department procedures.

"The officer acted with the utmost professionalism and treated the arrested individual in the same manner any person would have been treated during the arrest processing," Procter said.

Cohen was among dozens of people across the county arrested as a result of an investigation by the Rockland District Attorney's Office and the Department of Social Services.

Prior to the PBA response, St. Lawrence acknowledged that the officer didn't violate the department's general rules and regulations, which call for removing wigs and hats for mug shots.

He said he was told by police officials that the regulations don't specifically deal with how to fingerprint and photograph religious women, because it's rare any of them are arrested.

St. Lawrence said Quinn, a four-year officer, will be called before the Ramapo Police Commission on Monday.

St. Lawrence, who has received major political support from the Hasidic and ultra-Orthodox communities, said he would have been equally upset if any other member of the public had been treated insensitively by the police.

"It's very possible and probable that this is the first time this officer has been been involved in this type of situation," St. Lawrence said. "I am not looking to fault the officer as much as I want to make sure he and other officers learn from this."

As a result, Ramapo Deputy Chief James Quinn, no relation to the officer, will head the sensitivity training for all members of the department, St. Lawrence said.

Procter said the PBA encourages its members to learn about cultural differences and try to be as sensitive as possible while upholding the law and carrying out their duties.

Procter took exception to St. Lawrence's commenting about the officer before fully investigating the incident.

"The PBA fully supports the officer ... and will express our disappointment with the town's position and for not conducting a thorough investigation before condemning the officer and releasing his identity to the press," Procter said.

Police Chief Peter Brower declined to comment yesterday on the incident or the supervisor's criticism of the officer.

The standard procedure for police is to ask people arrested to remove a wig, turban, veil or any other head gear for a mug shot. A person arrested is under the authority of the police.

For example, Clarkstown Police Chief Peter Noonan said his officers could take photos of the suspect with a wig and without it.

And the officer would take a person's fingerprints, but might seek a legal opinion if a religious issue was raised.

"The objective of the photograph is to identify the person," Noonan said. "You want to know what the person looks like with or without the wig."

Police departments and other law enforcement authorities have procedures that take into account a person's religious beliefs. The Rockland Medical Examiner's Office, for example, has procedures concerning autopsies, given that autopsies are prohibited in some religions.

St. Lawrence said District Attorney Thomas Zugibe told him the photograph of the woman would be expunged and a new photo taken at a future date.

Zugibe said Ramapo officers processed the arrests of town residents for the investigation.

"I haven't seen any pattern reflective of insensitivity by the Ramapo Police Department," Zugibe said.

Zugibe said he understood the consternation of the religious community.

"In Rockland, we live in a very religious and culturally diverse community," Zugibe said. "We must be sensitive to the religious beliefs of people."

Zugibe said details of the investigation and those arrested would be revealed on Monday.

Ramapo police prepared for a protest yesterday based on rumblings within the community and phone calls to the media.

Officers put up sawhorses to cordon off an area for protesters in the police station's back parking lot.

While no protest materialized, Detective Lt. Brad Weidel said the police respect people's right to protest peacefully. He said other rumors were a protest might come tomorrow.

"If people want to protest at the police headquarters, they certainly have a right to, as long as they follow the rules," Weidel said.