Satmar State Police 'Rabbi' Under Fire–Again

Bernard Freilich, a $100,000-a-year State Police rabbi who carries an unauthorized badge and illegally presents himself as a police officer has equipped his private vehicle for years with "official" license plates registered to an Orange County village where he is not employed. Freilich "really cheapens the job. We're supposed to hold ourselves to a standard where we persevere through all the crud and he's a giant stain on the job's credibility."

 

State Police rabbi's 'official' plates under fire
DMV records show misleading information used to obtain official plates from Kiryas Joel, where spiritual leader is not employed
By BRENDAN J. LYONS • Albany Times-Union

ALBANY -- A $100,000-a-year State Police rabbi who carries a badge and presents himself as a police officer has equipped his private vehicle for years with "official" license plates registered to an Orange County village where he is not employed.

The rabbi, Bernard Freilich of Brooklyn, has transferred the special plates from vehicle to vehicle dating back years by submitting registration forms that contain incomplete and misleading information, according to state motor vehicle records released to the Times Union.

The records show Freilich was not required to submit proof of any official role he has with the village, Kiryas Joel, whose leaders have declined to respond to questions. The insurance cards for the vehicle list Kiryas Joel as the registered owner, also raising questions about liability.

Official plates are normally distributed only to employees of government agencies or leaders of volunteer organizations, such as fire departments. State law indicates "a vehicle assigned official plates must be owned or controlled by a political subdivision and operated by its employees."

Freilich's use of the license plates has riled residents in a Brooklyn Jewish community where Freilich has been accused of abusing his law enforcement credentials and pulling people over. His 2010 GMC sport-utility vehicle is equipped with emergency lights, a siren, police radio and a State Police "official business" placard.

DMV registration forms for Freilich's vehicle list a mailing address for a private post office box in Kiryas Joel that is different from the official post office box listed for the village. An entry on the forms for "address where you live" is left blank. Freilich checked a box indicating the vehicle is for "personal use" even though he was applying to transfer official government plates. The DMV forms list Freilich's personal cell phone number as a contact number and his village title as "pres." It's unclear what the title means. The village is governed by a mayor, Abraham Wieder, and a board of trustees.

Wieder did not respond to multiple requests for comment left at his residence, private workplace and the village's offices. Kiryas Joel is exclusive to residents of Hasidic faith and has strong political connections to top state leaders, including the governor.

State Sen. Eric Adams, a retired New York Police Department captain and former homeland security committee member, said Freilich's case raises questions about state policies regarding official plates.

It took DMV several weeks to retrieve records related to seven official plates, including Freilich's, that are issued to Kiryas Joel.

"I think this incident opens a discussion we must have with the state Department of Motor Vehicles," said Adams, D-Brooklyn. "The bottom line is there's a reason why police officers look like police officers. Civilians can't act like police officers. If you do then the whole system of public safety is eroded."

Freilich, 59, was appointed as a State Police liaison to the Jewish community by Gov. George Pataki in March 1995. The rabbi position, which currently pays $100,780, was created by Gov. Mario Cuomo.

A spokesman for Gov. Andrew Cuomo did not respond to repeated requests for comment regarding Freilich. The governor's office also declined to promptly provide any records on file with their office related to Freilich.

Several troopers, including former superintendents, have complained that Freilich's job is unnecessary and that the position was created to secure votes from powerful downstate Jewish voting blocs.

Brodie M. Mack Jr., who retired from the State Police in 2004, said Freilich once confronted him in a town court in Tuxedo, Orange County, and allegedly demanded Mack fix a ticket that had been issued to a Hasidic man. Mack, a former investigator who also specialized in commercial-vehicle enforcement, said Freilich threatened to use his connections if Mack did not do what he was asked.

Mack said he declined to fix the ticket and exchanged heated words with Freilich.

"This was back when troopers prosecuted traffic tickets," Mack said. "He's a problem because if you talk to other guys who are retired and guys who are still in State Police, I think they'll tell you this guy really cheapens the job. We're supposed to hold ourselves to a standard where we persevere through all the crud and he's a giant stain on the job's credibility."

Freilich denied the encounter took place.

"That's a made-up story. I was never in my life in Tuxedo Town Court, I don't even know where it is," he said. "I don't even call anybody about a ticket. ... It's not true."

Freilich's 16 years as a loosely-defined State Police "special assistant" have been controversial.

In 1999 Freilich was indicted in Brooklyn on charges of intimidating a witness for allegedly threatening the life of a young woman if she testified against her father, a Russian Orthodox Jew accused of sexually abusing her for years. Freilich was later acquitted.

Freilich declined to answer detailed questions about his official plates. He said village officials know he has the plates, that his vehicle is registered and insured to the village, and that he handles "public relations" for the village in an unpaid role.

"They know, everybody knows about it. It's legit and everything is 100 percent," Freilich said. "Stay away from people who are just lying to you."

Ken Brown, a DMV spokesman, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

The DMV's records indicate there are seven vehicles, including Freilich's, that have official plates registered to Kiryas Joel. In a written response the DMV said many of the records relating to the village's use, authorization and distribution of the official plates have been destroyed.

What's left of the records makes it hard to determine who uses the license plates or why.

Mike DiSilivio, who retired from the State Police and was a longtime investigator in New York City, said he crisscrossed the state many times to help console troopers and their families during crisis, including line-of-duty deaths.

"I never saw Freilich at the scene of an incident or at a hospital; nor did I ever hear of him offering assistance or aid to any member of the State Police," DiSilvio said. "His name would only come up in reference to a confrontation with one of our members throughout the years, that's the only time I've ever heard of Freilich. I'm willing to bet you there's not one member of the State Police who could explain his duties. Even the people in headquarters don't know what he does, but maybe now they do, because they're all panicking."

Freilich does have supporters.

Preston Felton, a former State Police superintendent under Gov. Eliot Spitzer, said Freilich was an asset to the agency. Felton, who retired from the State Police, is a law enforcement consultant for Kiryas Joel.

"When I worked in New York City as a major I came to know him and I found him to be professional and to do good work," Felton said. "As superintendent I depended on him to have that relationship with those communities which gave me the ability to know what's going on."

The State Police have initiated an internal probe examining the circumstances of Freilich's use of a State Police badge. An agency spokesman said they did not issue the badge, but Freilich said a colonel, whom he could not identify, gave it to him more than 10 years ago.

The internal investigation was sparked by a March 6 Times Union story that raised questions about whether Freilich has presented himself as a police officer and used his private vehicle to pull people over.

In 2008 Jewish leaders in Brooklyn said they conducted a rabbinical investigation of Freilich after receiving complaints from people claiming Freilich had pulled them over. According to two people familiar with the matter one of the complaints was filed by a man who said Freilich pulled him over on Route 42 near Monticello, Sullivan County.

The man declined to be interviewed for this story, saying he feared retribution.

A leader of the Brooklyn congregation where Freilich is a member confirmed that the man alleged Freilich used emergency lights and a siren to pull him over. The man told religious leaders, who did not report the incidents to police, that Freilich had a State Police badge around his neck when he made the stop. The congregational leader said Freilich quickly left when the man threatened to call 911.

Freilich said the allegations are false and that there was no investigation of the matter by a rabbinical council.

"It's all baloney. It's made-up stories. I never stopped anybody," Freilich said. "There was no rabbinical, there's no person, it's no such thing. They're pulling you into a thing which is baloney from top to bottom."

Comments

[em]

f u

[Garnel Ironheart]

Um, there should be an easy answer to this problem. Isn't it a crime to falsely present oneself as a police office? Have an undercover officer get him to say "Yes, I'm a cop" and arrest him.

[Yerachmiel Lopin]

What a fresser. Everyone I know in NYC goes nuts coping with parking. But not Mr. Fresser Freilich who just has to get to the head of the line.

The real important question is, who backed him in getting an keeping the job.

[A E ANDERSON]

You have to give it to Reform Judaism, even if you're frum. They do a psychological evaluation of their rabbinical candidates, either before ordaining them or before admitting them to their seminary. So much ill will, not to mention wasted ink, would be saved if the Orthodox had some mechanism of screening rabbis-to-be.

That said, certain what we call hangogois on the part of semicha candidates should set off alarm bells in the minds of ordaining authorities: membership in NAMBLA, subscriptions to Guns & Ammo are obvious. But even mere propensities to engage in violent confrontations, join fringe groups and bizarre causes, or pretty much any action or behaviour that would bring discredit on the Jewish community should raise the question of whether a bachur should be issued with a semicha.

[Garnel Ironheart]

The difference between Reform and Orthodoxy in this regard is that Reform rabbis are generally pulpit types which means you need to have a certain type of person who doesn't have conflicting personality traits or habits.
To become an Orthodox rav you have to be observant (pretty much in the bein adam l'makom stuff) and take a test. but there's no standard position that a rav has to fill so how would standards be developed?

[Monsey]

Who's tuchis got licked to get this position?

[Deremes]

"DMV records show misleading information used to obtain official plates from Kiryas Joel, where spiritual leader is not employed"

Can you please define what a spiritual leader is and in this case BF.

[Zalman Alpert]

Many Chasidic Jews in greater New York have been brainwashed into thinking that the only way they could or better should deal with authrities is through shtadlanim and the men who claim to be such. These men like Freilich, Ed Glueck and Glantz and others are hardly rabbis , and are street people whose power is through contacts with cops, cheap politicos and the like. A friend of mine who is a chasid told me about a car accident resulting in a death and that Ed Glueck stopped the attempted autopsy. I informed him of the law here and that there was no need for Mr. Glueck's intervention except for his own glory. The chasid was shocked you mean I have the right to approach so and so.
Yet many chassidim are so scared of authority they seek out these people. So its a systematic problem.
The chassidic community should appoint well intentioned men to handle these issues not men on the make for honor, publcity and who knows what else.

[yidandahalf]

Get rid of the parasite.

[Ovadia Ben Zona]

Does the line of these flabby, flaccid, frum fuckers ever end?

[curiousity]

Wow! Mr. Felton said he's an asset to the community so it must be true right? Breach of ethics much?

[A. Nuran]

A E Anderson, what's wrong with a subscription to Guns & Ammo? It doesn't have the integrity of Gun Tests, but buying it isn't a character defect.

[David]

submitting registration forms that contain incomplete and misleading information

The standard frumma way. Can't they do anything honestly, not even fill out a form?

[David]

Impersonating a police officer is an extremely serious offence in most jurisdictions. Is he going to be investigated in this matter?

[Shul Regular]

Bernard (Berish) Freilich is not an ordained rabbi and is not consulted by anyone on any religious ritual matters. Nevertheless, his use of the title "rabbi" and his function with the police are genuine, legitimate, and productive. In spite of what Zalman Alpert, respected YU librarian, says above, the Chasidic community does need representatives that step in to prevent autopsies, etc. Mr. Alpert continues; "The chassidic community should appoint well intentioned men to handle these issues." My dear Zalman, that is exactly what "Rabbi" Freilich is and does !!

[yidandahalf]

Shul Regular, the only productivness about Frielich's function is it produces parnassus for him at the tax payers' expense. He is a bloodsucker and should have his badges and crap taken away and be driven out of his "office" in shame.

[curiousity]

If a Chasidic community wants Bernard Freilich to represent them, they are welcome to pay his salary.

[Loshon Hora]

Don't worry it pays for him to go. The life time benefits & pension for him & his wife are a lot more than most Americans could expect, & the honor that some naive will still give him, for doing a paid job.
He is still young enough to find another job alongside his pension paid by the tax payer & guaranteed for life.

[Tom]

This man is a criminal and should be locked up in some miserable cell for as long as possible.

He represents the worst elements of humanity.

[Israel]

JEWS CAN and WILL DO anything we want!!

Cant stop us, we rock!!

[Truth]

It’s defiantly illegal to threaten with physical violence the question is if threatening with spiritual violence and an old ruling from the Beth Yosef but not actually threatening to act on it. For example it isn’t illegal to preach that according the bible you are to kill one who writes two words on Shabbat however it is illegal to act or make others act on such rulings.

In general you are blaming the DA for following the law and trying his best with victims who are not ready to testify (due to their rabbis rulings) and showing up 15 years after the statue of limitations. Although the DA can stretch the law and try going after rabbis or others for intimidation he is not ready to lose the cases and then his job, just to make some headline news, the laws should be changed not the DA blamed. It’s extremely difficult to win an intimidation case when the victim wants to remain within the community and isn't helpful.

Example:
In 1999 Freilich was indicted in Brooklyn on charges of intimidating a witness for allegedly threatening the life of a young woman if she testified against her father, a Russian Orthodox Jew accused of sexually abusing her for years. Freilich was later acquitted.

Bringing down the DA will not help the situation it might do just the opposite since both candidates will be fighting for the charadi vote something that didn’t happen in the past since Hynes ran unopposed.