Letter: Clean up Nassau crime lab

I am sure the taxpayers of Nassau County are curious about the number of police and county workers who will be fired for incompetence as a result of New York Inspector General Ellen Biben's report ["Blame to spare for lab failures," Editorial, Nov. 11].

I find it beyond belief that the lab director is alleged to have been a "weak leader" who also lacked "scientific knowledge and dedication." Did anyone review this person's resume or even interview him before placing him in this position? What is going to happen to those individuals who allowed this allegedly unqualified detective to head the lab?

There appears to be a long list of individuals who should be released for cause and removed from the Nassau County payroll; but will that happen? I learned in the Newsday editorial that staffers of the crime lab who were police officers were covered by a union contract that prohibited any evaluation of their performance. Who allowed such a ridiculous provision to be placed in the contract?

I would also like to know why police officers were assigned to a crime lab withoutspecific scientific experience. I'm sure it would not be a problem to find qualified civilians, who surely would be paid less than a Nassau County police officer.

I hope Newsday continues to follow this fiasco and puts pressure on our elected officials to remove incompetent workers from the county payroll.

Ed Borella, Aquebogue