Peter J. Krauss

Krauss said he became interested in running for sheriff last year when County Executive Steve Bellone decried a “culture of corruption” in Suffolk. As sheriff, he said he would fight corruption. He believes the sheriff had the ability to call forward a grand jury to investigate crimes, including wrongdoing by public officials. He also said he wants to defend parental rights, including their decisions on whether to vaccinate their children. “The family has a right to raise their children as they see fit. Too often the civil system can be turned into a bully,” he said.

Krauss, 46, of West Islip, is running on the Libertarian Party line. He received an associate degree in graphic communication from Farmingdale State College. He became a police officer with the NYPD in 1993 and was promoted to sergeant in 2003. He retired in 2013. He currently works at Pace University as a security coordinator. He’s active in his church, Commack Church of Christ, and his children’s home-school group, Classical Conversations in Sayville. He is also a member of Constitutional Sheriffs and Oathkeepers. He is married, with six children.