Undersheriff Caracappa Got Early Start in Politics

Motorists who drive along Middle Country Road in Selden, NY are used to seeing signs for the office of "Joseph T. Caracappa, County Legislator." They're probably so used to seeing it that they aren't aware it's still there. The tenant of that office isn't, though, and the sign promotes its emptiness.

It's not to speak ill of Caracappa: his term limits have expired and he's no longer a County Legislator. That's what happens in Suffolk County politics. Still, the sign remains.

On a brisk but sunny March morning, Joseph Caracappa, a resident of Farmingville, was waiting to be interviewed at his current address: 100 Center Drive in Riverhead. No, Caracappa isn't being incarcerated in the correctional facility there; he's one of two undersheriffs to Vincent DeMarco. It's a position Caracappa has held for the past three years.

Caracappa's office looks less like what one might expect from a corrections officer and more like what one would expect of a man cave in a finished basement. It's filled with plenty of sports memorabilia: hockey sticks, local paper front pages, framed sports jerseys, numerous photos of Caracappa posing with sports legends and a replica of the Stanley Cup - which is probably the first thing a visitor notices when he or she walks into the room.

Then there's Caracappa's desk, which is absolutely meticulous and every pen, paperclip and reference book is in its proper place. All of the pencils are sharpened and the desk itself is polished to a fine luster. There's no doubt that this man is organized and methodical.

The Undersheriff greets his visitor with a warm smile and a sincere handshake. He's still boyishly good looking and apologizes a bit because he feels he hasn't done much in the way of media interviews in the past few years. To be honest, his conversation starts out unsteadily. In no time at all, though, he is leaning back in his chair and speaking openly about his career in politics, his current position and (you guessed it) sports. Once he warmed up, it became quite obvious that he was enjoying the interview.

The son of Conservative County Legislator Rose Caracappa, Joseph graduated from Newfield High School. His sister Debra currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and his brother Nicholas is very active in the Selden community, where he serves on the Middle Country School Board and all the Little Leagues.

Nicholas is the president of his union at the Water Authority and is very community oriented.

"Then there's me; the baby of the family," Caracappa adds with a smile.

After graduating high school, he went straight to work and began taking night classes.

"In 1995, when my mother passed away suddenly, I found myself running to fill her vacant seat a few days later."

He was initially elected in '95 and continued going to school, "but eventually I had to put that on hold to focus on being a good legislator and a good representative," he explains.

Although Caracappa wasn't a member of his mother's staff, he was very familiar with her job.

"I basically lived in her office as a child and had done many of her campaigns," he said. "I was seven years old when she ran first ran for office in 1975, so I've been a part of it for quite some time."

His first election was a difficult time for Caracappa.

"I'd just lost my mother, who was also my best friend, and the powers-that-be were suddenly tapping me on the shoulder and running a special election."

It certainly wasn't "entitlement" in Caracappa's mind, but he adds, "I did feel a need to carry on my mother's work which had ended so abruptly. My mother was very much loved by her community. I remember sitting in church during her funeral and hearing the word 'legacy' spoken by the priest.

"Oddly enough, I felt that he was looking right at me. Obviously he wasn't but I felt the need to carry on her good work or at least finish the good work she had going on and maybe doing it for a while before away. It turned out to be much more than that."

At the age of 27, Caracappa was the youngest person to hold the office of Deputy Presiding Officer. When he was elected Presiding Officer in 2004, he held the distinction of being the youngest Presiding Officer in the Legislature's history.

Looking back on his tenure in the Legislature, Caracappa is proudest of bringing the Long Island Ducks and professional baseball to Suffolk County.

"Everyone thought I was crazy when I just decided to say, 'Well, let's try this,' he said. "Other attempts had failed miserably in the years before I grabbed it. I really worked hard on that and was very happy with what came about there."

As a testimony to Caracappa's spearheading this project, a gold shovel that is configured like a baseball bat stands in the corner of his office. It is the very shovel that was used to break ground for what is now CitiBank Park in Central Islip, just off the Southern State Parkway.

In a rather touching manner, Caracappa speaks very highly of the people who elected him.

"I considered my constituents to be my friends and I had 80 thousand advisors in them. They really lived up to their roles by making me a better representative."

He also cites the new 6^th Precinct as an accomplishment he takes pride in.

"I guess you could call it my 'brain trust.' I was thinking one night that the old 6^th Precinct was dilapidated and we had a new 7^th Precinct coming along, so I felt it would be great to move the precinct into my district—into the Selden area—but make it really nice.

"I wanted to make it into a positive community asset as opposed to a negative one. I worked with the community and the police department as well as my friends in law enforcement. As a result, we were able to make that happen. Almost all the best results during my term were achieved through a collaborative effort within my constituency."

It seems a bit incongruous that a man who had so much experience in elected office should find himself in his current position.

"Not really," Caracappa explains. "When I started in the Legislature I was immediately put on the Public Safety Committee. I was on that committee for all my years as a Legislator. I found that public safety issues were something that I was attracted to. Perhaps the number one role as an elected official is to provide public safety. Of course you have to do it in the most efficient way.

"Everything else falls out underneath that. I had a good relationship with all law enforcement officials and a firm grasp on their subjects. Later on, towards the end of my elected career, Sheriff Demarco approached me, asking what my plans were going to be and invited me to become one of his administrators. I thought about it for a while and it felt right."

Perhaps Law Enforcement was always in the back of Caracappa's mind because he took the police exam right out of high school and did very well on it but nothing ever came of it.

"It was in '88 and it was the brand-new test which I'd studied for at Suffolk Community College. I guess I always had the willingness for a career in public safety."

When questioned about what the responsibilities of an Undersheriff are, Caracappa humorously quipped, "basically everything that has to be done when the Sheriff's away!"

He then got serious and elucidates: "There are two undersheriffs here in Suffolk County, John Meyerricks is the other one. There are two sides of the sheriff's office: the enforcement side and the corrections side. My role is dealing mostly with the corrections side, although I do have some responsibilities that pertain to enforcement as well; for example, the medical evaluations unit reports directly to me and the Warden's Office reports directly to me. We have a "flow chart"—an organizational chart where the Sheriff, myself and Undersheriff Meyerricks are listed and everything flows up to us and then to the Sheriff."

Caracappa explains that he does all the work coming from the Suffolk County Legislature and all other levels of government; the budget—both operating and capital.

When he gets home and takes off his suit and tie, Caracappa likeS to run, play golf, hockey and lots of other sports. Yet there's one thing that he hasn't spoken of too much: he's a musician, too.

"I've been playing drums with the same group of guys for fifteen, almost twenty years now. It's a great release and a chance for me to express myself in a healthy way. It's a lot of fun and I kept it quiet while I was on the Legislature. It wasn't something I promoted. As much as I'm a public person, I like to keep my private life exceptionally private."

It also has to be said that Joseph Caracappa is extremely loyal to his friends and stands by them through thick and through thin. This is evident in his relationship with John Powell, the disgraced Republican Chairman who spent three years in federal prison.

"I attended the trial every day and showed my support even though I was criticized for it. I didn't care," said Caracappa, who worked alongside Powell in the highway department. "He went on to bigger and better things and when my mother passed away, it was he who asked me run for her seat. John gave me all the guidance and friendship I needed at the time. When he ran into his troubles I stood by him to the end."

As Caracappa tells of this, a specific quotation from the Bible seemed to be very much a part of his life: "A friend loveth at all times" (Proverbs 17:17)

There's no doubt that Joseph Caracappa is extremely effective as one of Suffolk County's Undersheriffs. However, in view of the many achievements he's had in the political arena, would he rule out running for another elected office at some point in the future?

"It's hard to say," he responded. "I feel very comfortable working with Sheriff DeMarco here at the Sheriff's Office. It's a new learning experience for me. This place is so big and does so many vital, important services for all of Suffolk County that I'm still trying to find my way around. It's very interesting being a police officer now and working with a great Sheriff. I guess the long answer to the question is: not at this time."

When pressed a bit more he added to, "never rule anything out."

With that in mind, perhaps that sign on Middle Country Road should remain there because it's conceivable that somewhere down the pike, Caracappa may once again be an elected official and could need suitable office space.