(Photo courtesy of candidate’s website)
Retired NYPD detective, police chief, school board prez and founder of a Long Island-based private security firm faces off against a Dem incumbent on Nov. 5.
(Note: The following info was excerpted and compiled by WUW on Sept. 30, 2024 from the candidate’s own website www.mikesapraiconeforsenate.com.)
Mike began his law enforcement career in 1980 and served in the New York Police Department for 20 years, beginning as a transit officer protecting millions of subway riders. His dedication to service was recognized with the promotion to first-grade detective — a rank in which he worked to bring high-profile criminals to justice.
Being at the foundation of New York City’s turnaround, Mike saw first-hand the impact of crime on the New York economy and the need for businesses to have a private security option. It was with this in mind that he started Squad Security to provide security services to New York-based companies, including the American Stock Exchange.
Since retiring from the NYPD in 2000, Mike grew this small business into a global security firm in the heart of Long Island, and employed over 600 active and retired members of law enforcement.
Mike was raised in Richmond Hill, Queens where he attended Holy Cross High School in Flushing. He has continued to be involved at Holy Cross High School as a member and Chairman of the Board of Trustees and he established scholarships for high-achieving students and those in financial need.
Mike has served as president of the Seaford Union Free School District Board of Education and is senior trustee of the Museum of American Armor, based in Old Bethpage, NY.
Mike is also on the boards of Tomorrow’s Hope Foundation, Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital, Catholic Youth Organization and the Columbus Citizens Foundation, for which he Co-Chaired New York City’s Columbus Day Parade.
Mike has been a member of the National Association of Chiefs of Police, Associated Licensed Detectives of New York State and the American Academy for Professional Law Enforcement.
Mike has frequently appeared on NBC’s Today Show, WINS Radio, NBC-TV, Fox News, Court TV, MSNBC and CNN.
Mike has also served as an expert on public safety and security issues [for] the New York Times, New York Post, New York Daily News and Long Island Business News. He also hosted “Mike Sapraicone’s Street Smart” on Long Island News Radio.
Mike has lived on Long Island for 32 years and currently resides in the Town of Oyster Bay with his wife Eileen. Mike is the father of five children and has five grandchildren.
Border Security
As a law enforcement and security expert, who started a 600-employee company providing armed security services to the nation’s largest corporations, Mike Sapraicone will secure our border and stop the tidal wave of illegal immigrants and deadly fentanyl pouring across the southern border.
Through the Biden Administration’s open borders policies, the number of undocumented immigrant border crossings exceeded 2.75 million in 2022–exceeding the previous record by more than 1 million.
In FY 2023, US Customs and Border Protection seized over 43,000 pounds of fentanyl at the southern border, which is enough to kill 10 billion people. Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18 to 45
Affordability
Families across New York are confronting an affordability crisis. In Washington, Mike Sapraicone will work on a bipartisan basis to combat inflation, restore the State and Local Tax (“SALT”) deduction and ease the tax burden on homeowners and taxpayers, because he knows how hard New Yorkers work to make ends meet.
Mike will also lead the fight to block the MTA’s congestion pricing program which will charge motorists $23 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street – costing commuters an additional $1 billion per year.
As former president of the Seaford school board, Mike will also work to deliver more federal education funding for local school districts to ease the burden on local property taxpayers.
Quality of Life
For more than a century, New York has been a destination for those seeking opportunity for themselves and their families. Mike Sapraicone will invest in our public schools, hospitals, and environmental treasures to ensure New York continues to be a great place to live, work, and raise a family.
Mike will also defend Social Security and Medicare to provide seniors with benefits they have earned.
Integrity in Government
As a law enforcement professional, Mike Sapraicone is committed to restoring integrity in government, ensuring voters can once again have confidence in their elected representatives. Mike supports term limits for members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to end the era of career politicians and return accountability to Washington. ##