Ramapo Orthodox Jewish Cop Files Discrimination Claim
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- August
- 21
Baile Glauber told The Journal News minutes after graduating from the Rockland Police Academy in June 2008 that she was “excited” about starting her career as a Ramapo police officer. 
Glauber (pictured right) declined at the time to discuss her life even though she became a feel-good story because she grew up in the Satmar Hasidic Jewish community, where women are specifically sheltered from influence outside the community.
Times have changed since graduation.
Glauber, 31, a divorce mother with a son, has filed a discrimination complaint against the Ramapo Police Department and town, contending she has been mistreated because of her religious beliefs since her opening interview for the nomination in February 2008, before the Police Academy training.
Ramapo strongly disputes her allegations and will file a response by Sept. 3 with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Town Attorney Michael Klein told me today.
Her EEOC complaint is the mandated percursor to a federal civil rights lawsuit.
Klein said he hopes Glauber can settle her issues out of court with the town. But he said Ramapo isn’t backing down that the department followed the laws and accommodated her religious beliefs, including Sabbath days off and an opportunity to get Jewish holidays off.
Glauber contends her religious beliefs were the focus of discussions since she interviewed with police brass for a job in January 2008. She included Chief Peter Brower.
“I was interviewed for approximately one and one-half hours, during which time I was repeatedly questioned about little else other than how my religious background and my religious observance would affect my ability to perform my job as a police officer,” Glauber wrote in the complaint.
She said officers shunned her, as part of a campaign of harassment and discrimination. One officer, she wrote, told her she’ll never be part of the police family. Another officer, she said, wished her good luck but didn’t think she could cut it as a cop. She contends her colleagues didn’t think she could handle being an officer because of her cluster raising as a Satmar Hasidic Jew, and her lack of life experience outside the religious community.
Glauber has not done much police work as she has yet to complete her field training to ride solo as an officer and her probation – and future as an officer – comes up for review in February.
She injured her ankle in the Police Academy, took time off from the physical training and came back to pass the physical regiment.
She’s been on desk duty for months with an ankle and non-work-related injury, while she has seen doctors.
This entry was posted
on Friday, August 21st, 2009 at 12:05 pm by Steve Lieberman. 
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