The NYPD’s genetic stop and frisk

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Manhattan: NYPD Commissioner Jimmy O’Neill’s op-ed seeks to defend an unregulated DNA databank that keeps innocent people in a perennial “suspect” status (“The truth about the NYPD and DNA,” Nov. 19). The litany of stats he cites should be taken with a grain of salt; especially given the fact that NYPD, for years, hid an illegal juvenile fingerprint database.

O’Neill should tell his most prominent claim, that the city databank produced no false arrests, to Darrell Harris. Harris faced false life-ruining burglary charges based solely on the city’s DNA index. Wrongful convictions can take years to come to light — how can the commissioner say absolutely that there aren’t more?

O’Neill points to 30 states that allow arrestee collection but each of those states’ databanks are properly regulated and have codified procedures for expunging DNA from innocent people — something the city’s index lacks.

O’Neill calls the indexed people — including, even by his count, more than 1,500 children — “suspects.” We know from stop and frisk that the NYPD’s definition of “suspect” is amorphous at best. That’s why Mike Bloomberg apologized for this broad over-definition that ruptured police-community relationships.

Pending legislation won’t slow down crime-solving. It will protect communities by halting DNA dragnets while allowing regulated testing — not genetic stop-and-frisk.

David Loftis and Rebecca Brown attorney-in-charge post-conviction and forensic litigation

at the Legal Aid Society and director of policy at the Innocence Project

Dressed not to impress

Whitestone: Should we set up a GoFundMe page for Rep. Jim Jordan so he can get a jacket? Poor guy doesn’t seem to own one.

Electoral conundrum

Manhattan: Bravo to Bramhall for his Nov. 20 cartoon illustrating the hypocrisy of the GOP’s oftrepeated “impeachment is an attempt to subvert the will of the people” by showing the number of votes received by Clinton and Trump respectively in 2016. The “reversal of the election” occurred on Nov. 8, 2016, when the Electoral College wiped out 3 million votes for Clinton and gave us the current disaster instead. And will someone please ask Devin Nunes what in the world is an “Electoral College landslide?” Doesn’t that just mean “the loser takes it all?” Carol Robinson

Keeping tally

Audrey Wolfe

Brentwood, N.J.: Why is Bramhall comparing popular votes in his Nov. 20 cartoon? In the presidential election, electoral votes are what counts. His numbers should

read: Trump - 304; Clinton 227. I assume that if he reviewed a baseball game, he would compare the number of hits each team had rather than the number of runs scored. W.J. Van Sickle

Hill the conqueror

Bronx: Fiona Hill for president! Hill took her Republican interrogators to school. She brought a breath of sunshine and sanity to the impeachment hearings. She was articulate, concise and insightful. In many instances, you could plainly see how her Republican questioners often wished that they had never asked some questions. They knew that her answers were actually not helping President Trump. You go girl!

Gilbert Lane

A vocal voter

South Amboy, N.J.: Anyone with common sense can see that the Republican lackeys are latching onto Trump to keep their cushy 92-days-ayear, do-nothing jobs. Time to grow a pair and stand up for their country and not for a sniveling liar. Has anyone seen his rallies lately? He is going off the deep end and makes no sense at all! Note to the Democrats: You claim you can walk and chew gum at the same time but you have to take the wrapper off first! Time to speed up the impeachment process before you let your opportunity pass you by. If you subpoena someone to testify and they blatantly refuse, “Lock them up!” — sound familiar?

Barbara Bird

Gross

Brooklyn: Ambassador Gordon Sondland looks like a man whose Ex-Lax has finally taken effect and his figurative bowels have moved all over the Trump administration’s obfuscations, denials and assertions of “no-involvement” by the president.

Ed Temple

Nice try, de Blasio

Bronx: Re “Mayor de Blasio says City Hall’s gender pay gap is so wide because of high-paid men whose jobs deserve big salaries regardless of gender” (Nov. 20): de Blasio proved his critics right when he tried to rebut the Daily News analysis that shows his administration pays women less than men. The mayor responded that the really big, tough jobs, such as those in charge of New York’s public schools, hospitals, housing, etc. — all jobs held by men — should have been excluded from the study. “These are some of the

LUIZ C. RIBEIRO / FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS about these initiatives. Int. No. 1650-2019, a New York City Council bill, to require the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to do exactly that as it pertains to Health Bucks and Farmers’ Markets is currently laid over in committee. Educational initiatives to promote the use of SNAP benefits have proven effective among recipients. Therefore, it is likely that the city will yield greater success of “Get the Good Stuff ” if we mandate that the Health Department disseminate information to SNAP recipients and applicants.

Jonathan Elliott Dayan toughest public service jobs in America and they deserve to be well compensated,” he said. In other words, de Blasio is quite willing to hire women, but only to do the easier jobs, the ones that do not deserve to be well compensated. Steve Snow

Two by four

Manhattan: Thursday’s sports section says that the Yankees’ first baseman candidates are Luke Voit, Mike Ford, and Greg Bird. Does this mean that to play first base for the Yankees, you must have two four-letter names? This is a clear case of name-length discrimination. And what about the three Aaron’s (Boone, Hicks, Judge)? This stinks to high heaven. Something must be done! John Stout

Spread the word

Brooklyn: Re “New Yorkers who receive SNAP benefits can earn matching dollars on purchase of fruits and vegetables” (Nov. 21): Initiatives like “Get the Good Stuff ” and Health Bucks have significant potential to increase the access to and consumption of fresh produce among SNAP recipients. To ensure that recipients are taking full advantage of these programs, however, we need to systematically disseminate information in plain language to SNAP recipients and applicants

So confused

Breezy Point: Re Rev. Bernard Lynch (“Outspoken gay Catholic priest Bernard Lynch accused of late-‘70s sexual abuse of teen student at Bronx school,” Nov. 20): This priest is accused of heinous acts, and if he is found guilty, should be thrown in jail for the remainder of his life. On another note, how can a gay man living in London with his husband remain a Catholic priest? Someone explain this, please. Kathleen Washington

Happy hour

Huntingon, L.I.: Elephant Gin? Now I know why I found a peanut in my martini!

Leonard Stevenson