Frivolous moral grandstanding was the order of the day at Tuesday’s City Council hearing on the NYPD’s DNA-collection policies.

“The government shouldn’t be stealing residents’ DNA,” thundered Public Safety Committee Chair Donovan Richards as he opened the session.

Puh-lease. Is he going to accuse cops of “stealing” fingerprints next?

Richards — who’s looking for headlines in advance of next month’s special election for Queens borough president — is threatening legislation to restrict the NYPD’s use of DNA evidence.

And never mind that Police Commissioner Dermot Shea has already announced that the department will audit tens of thousands of samples in the Local DNA Index System and purge those more than two years old and not linked to a continuing case or investigation.

Nor does it harm anyone for the NYPD to have their DNA info — at least, not unless they commit a crime. In this, it’s no different than a mug shot or fingerprints, except that it’s a far more certain means of identifying a potential suspect.

“Cops can’t search your home without asking a judge first. Cops can’t go into your pockets without probable cause,” Richards complained. “I don’t think any of us want to live in a society where the government can just choose to take something like your DNA without even telling you what it’s doing.”

Except that the NYPD isn’t just grabbing DNA from anyone and everyone: Every sample in the database comes from someone at least suspected of an offense.

Yes, the database includes some people who were questioned but never charged, or charged but not found guilty. But, again, the innocent have absolutely nothing to fear.

“If someone is a suspect of a crime, our job is to protect the victims. … If we need to use technology to bring us in the right direction, then that’s what we are going to do,” explained Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison.

That’s what New Yorkers overwhelmingly expect of the NYPD. Cynical politicians need to stop trying to make it harder for cops to keep us all safe.