Suffolk County?s police commissioner says the department will no longer ask crime victims to list their residency status on paper work after immigration activists have raised questions about the incident report process.

In the aftermath of the stabbing death of Ecuadorian immigrant Marcelo Lucero in Patchogue, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy assured residents police did not ask crime victims their immigrant status.

Activists accused police and Levy of playing semantics because victims do have to list their residency status on incident reports. They say it?s the same thing since the person filing the report has to declare whether he or she is a permanent resident, temporary resident or foreign national.

According to a statement from the Suffolk County Police Department, asking a crime victim?s residential status is only used to identify crime trends or a victim?s location and for possible follow up. The department says there is a distinction between immigration status and residency status.