Officer allegedly forced Jewish woman to remove wig

The Monsey Jewish community is speaking out against the Ramapo Police Department Friday after an arrested Jewish woman was allegedly forced to remove her religious wig for a booking photo.Police say 23-year-old

News 12 Staff

May 28, 2014, 6:56 PM

Updated 3,618 days ago

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Officer allegedly forced Jewish woman to remove wig
The Monsey Jewish community is speaking out against the Ramapo Police Department Friday after an arrested Jewish woman was allegedly forced to remove her religious wig for a booking photo.Police say 23-year-old Shifra Cohen turned herself in to the Monsey Police Department Thursday after being accused of welfare fraud. Police say Officer Jonathan Quinn then filed the booking, and ordered her to remove her wig for a photo, despite her objections.Town Supervisor Chris St. Lawrence says the officer should have asked for a female officer to handle the booking.?When her hair gets uncovered, to her that?s the same feeling of getting another area undressed and I can understand her feeling of being mishandled,? says one resident.In response to the incident, members of the Monsey Jewish community say they are planning a protest to be held this Sunday afternoon in front of the police department.Supervisor St. Lawrence has also called for a special meeting of the Ramapo Police Commission Monday to address the incident. Police say the photo of Cohen is to be destroyed.


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