October 26, 2005

Daily News

Voice of the People

450 W. 33rd Street

New York, New York 10001

Dear Editor:

If your editorial board had spoken to my office, as we requested, prior to writing an editorial that misinterpreted the State Division of Criminal Justice Services reports, you would have realized how foolish, erroneous, and misleading your statements were. I assume that in your rush to complete this editorial, you either did not understand or chose to ignore the clear import of the figures. Whatever the reason, you did your readers and my office a complete disservice.

According to DCJS, a person arrested for a violent felony in Nassau County receives a jail sentence 51.2% of the time, as opposed to Manhattan (30.8%) and Queens (28.2%).

In the event you have any questions or would like an explanation as to the mistakes that you committed, please feel free to contact my office.

Very truly yours,

DENIS DILLON

District Attorney