Reported previously that Roosevelt Island is a great place to test new and exciting technology for the betterment of those who live, work and visit here. Projects that succeed on Roosevelt Island can then be expanded to other locations.

Here’s another opportunity to test a technology solution to a common problem on Roosevelt Island and everywhere else. Could DNA Testing technology

Image From PooPrints be the solution for the Dog Poop problem? According to the Huffington Post:

The only thing worse than stepping in dog poop is knowing there’s pretty much
no way to track down the guilty pet owner.

That’s where PooPrints comes in. The service, created by BioPet Vet Lab in
Tennessee, can be purchased by entire housing complexes or housing
developments that are willing to make pet DNA swabbing a requirement for
residents. That way, if anyone ever comes across a pile of abandoned feces on
the street, PooPrints can take a sample, send it to a lab and instantly know
which dog, and consequently which owner, is the culprit….

Click here for the entire article. ABC 7 News reports:

Responding in 2010 to residents complaints about some dog owners not picking up their dog’s poop, former Roosevelt Island Operating Corp ( RIOC ) Public Safety Department (PSD) Director Keith Guerra stated:

… The Public Safety Department has received calls regarding dog owners not
picking up after their dogs. Unfortunately, by the time we respond to the
location, the person is usually gone. However, if someone is seen by a Public
Safety Officer not picking up after their dog, they can be ticketed.

Dogs are also not permitted to run loose in non-designated areas. “Curb your
Dog” signs refer to just that. Dogs must be kept on a leash.

“No Dogs Allowed” signs are authorized to be placed on private property. If a
person disobeys any of the posted signs, they fall subject to being ticketed
as well.

Please note that Public Safety Officers can use discretion and choose to issue
a verbal warning in lieu of a ticket.

Residents need to use good judgement in these areas, as they do affect the
Quality of Life here on the island. Encourage your readers to be good
neighbors by keeping their dogs on a leash and picking up after them as
well….

So, what do you think? Should Roosevelt Island dogs be required to have their DNA on file with PSD or their building management so that poop not picked up can be tested to identify and ticket the dog owner?