Just Sayin': Too few LIRR trains on Long Beach branch

The train service for the Long Beach branch of the Long Island Rail Road is deplorable, especially the stops east of Lynbrook. The schedule discourages us from enjoying the theater and the many other forms of entertainment in New York City, because the wait between trains sometimes exceeds an hour.

I believe the LIRR caters exclusively to the elite areas of Long Island, with service at some times of day approximately every half hour. I have been reviewing the time schedules during my hour-long waits.

I pay high fares, the same as everyone else on Long Island, and I demand equal service.

Joann Pellino, Oceanside

Asset forfeiture system is unjust

Civil asset forfeiture, I believe, is an unconstitutional and unethical tool that law enforcement uses to seize property it believes to be involved in criminal activity. The person whose property is taken doesn’t even need to be charged with a crime.

This tool has been abused and used as a revenue source. In 1997, New York seized $8 million in assets, while in 2013, it seized $46.8 million. As reported by Newsday, in 2013, Suffolk police ended up with $3.2 million through asset forfeiture.

The system gives police incentive to police for profit. The people who are supposed to be public servants end up being revenue generators for the state at the expense of others’ liberty and property.

New York needs to learn from states like California, where Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill last year that requires police to obtain a criminal conviction before they can seize assets with a value of up to $40,000. It’s time to end this legalized form of robbery.

Michael Pottetti, Port Jefferson