On the Frontlines     

As told to Shoshana Gross

As head of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)’s Brooklyn office, Tova (Chatzinoff) Rosenfeld is a bridge between the frum community and the institutions meant to protect us

I grew up in the Five Towns, the daughter of a shul rabbi. When faced with a big decision, I’ve always spoken to my father to ask for his advice. His typical response, the catalyst to much of the direction my life’s taken? “That sounds like an interesting experience. You should try it.”

My father’s let-you-take-your-chances approach (and my mother’s willingness to go along with it!), was the rock-solid support that led me, as an aspiring teenager who was “into” politics, to apply for a summer internship in a local politician’s office — not the typical summer plan for most of my friends.

So when I saw an ad saying the NYPD was looking for auxiliary police volunteers, I applied. The application process wasn’t rigorous, and it was definitely, as my father agreed, “an interesting experience.” Auxiliary officers are a support force for the regular police, extra manpower available for visibility, crowd control, and at events. We had some classes on the nuances of certain laws, self-defense, and some interesting storytelling sessions with retired officers.

The precinct I worked in was a high-crime area, and because most people can’t tell the difference between a regular officer and an auxiliary, the presence of the distinctive uniform causes would-be criminals to think twice about breaking the law, freeing up real cops to respond to more urgent calls.