On this episode, Kevin Schroeder is joined by guest co-host retired Manhattan DA investigator Judy Newton for a conversation with retired NYPD First Grade Detective Mike Sapraicone, who looks back on joining the job in 1980, rising through Transit and the NYPD, and what it took to earn the First Grade shield. He shares stories from Midtown, narcotics, and anti-crime, and explains how old-school interviews, informants, and squad culture drove investigations before modern technology. The group discusses the merger era, CompStat, leadership shifts, and how accountability reshaped policing, along with Sapraicone’s post-retirement success building a major security company, protecting financial institutions after 9/11, and later entering politics with a U.S. Senate run. They also weigh in on today’s law enforcement challenges, manpower shortages, and the need for stronger coordination between agencies, offering a firsthand look at policing then and now.
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