The River Reporter
Thursday, April 27, 1995

Police complaints target Monticello mayor

By TOM RUE

MONTICELLO - A complaint filed against mayor Robert Friedland accuses him of invading the personal and professional privacy of police chief Michael Brennan by calling numbers from Brennan's cellular phone bill and asking parties what had been discussed.

Separately, John Riegler, president of the Monticello Police Benevolent Association, on April 24, announced plans to file a complaint against Friedland with the attorney general's office, alleging "continued abuse of his political position as mayor."

Brennan confirmed, on April 25, that he has a complaint pending with village manager William Cummings. But he refused to elaborate, stating the matter had been referred to an attorney from outside the area whom he would not name. Brennan would not confirm or deny reports that he is considering suing Friedland for invasion of privacy.

Friedland declined to comment, stating, "I'm not fully aware of it all."

The dispute reportedly centers on car phones leased from Cellular One, and Friedland's alleged investigation of apparently unfounded suspicions that Brennan and/or village manager William Cummings might have been making personal calls at public expense.

Friedland has defended actions like this in the past as the type of vigilance taxpayers expect in a mayor. Cummings called the matter an example of the "meddling" which led him to announce his resignation three weeks ago.

"To me it seems like he was scrutinizing what the manager had done," Brennan said.

Brennan expressed concern that the safety of confidential police informants may have been jeopardized by Friedland's investigation. "My personal numbers, that I had paid for, too, were compromised," Brennan said.

The complaint reportedly accuses Friedland of invading Brennan's privacy by calling his personal acquaintances and confidential law-enforcement contacts.

The problem may have been solved, for now, Brennan said, by him and Cummings getting their own phones, and using a third cellular phone for village calls. Brennan claimed he had already paid for his personal on the bill before Friedland got a hold of the unredacted phone bill directly from Cable One. Brennan said he filed copies of the bills with the village, accompanied by payment, with personal or confidential numbers blacked out.

The phones were bought in early February, Brennan said. On April 4, the village board approved a contract with Cellular One for a phone "to be used exclusively by the detective squad," amid discussion of Brennan's concern that "certain undercover numbers were compromised" when Friedland reviewed the bills, minutes say.

Village attorney Martin Miller would not comment, calling the issue "a confidential personnel matter."

After the April 25 meeting, the board entered executive session to discuss "a personnel matter involving two specific employees," according to Miller, as well as replacing Cummings when his resignation takes effect on May 5.

During the meeting -- which was attended by over 100 residents -- Sommers temporarily backed off from calling for Friedland's resignation over a recent scandal involving Friedland's tape-recorded demand that Brennan hire his son as a police officer.

Some residents complained about the board's hiring of an outside consultant to investigate Friedland's call to Brennan, without utilizing free services available locally such as the village Human Rights Commission. Others commended the action.

"The majority of the board felt the best course was to wait for the report and take it from there. For the record, it's not a dead issue," said Sommers of his earlier plan to call on Friedland to resign.