A prisoner who escaped Suffolk police custody at a hospital...

A prisoner who escaped Suffolk police custody at a hospital Friday has been caught after a 90-minute hunt, authorities said. Credit: Kevin P. Coughlin

We know it is improper, inaccurate and insensitive to group individuals of a specific race, creed or national origin for negative purposes.

We should expand the definition to include occupation. After the conviction of a former Suffolk police officer, the executive director of the advocacy group Long Island Wins said “it sends a chilling message throughout the Hispanic community that the police are not there to protect and serve that community” [“ ‘Thief with a badge,’ ” News, Jan. 16].

I guess it’s acceptable to group people when you want to paint them all as victims and also acceptable when you want to classify all individuals of a certain occupation as villains.

Thomas Duignan

West Islip

Editor’s note: The writer is a retired state park police officer.

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