After health care CEO killing, LI's Sapraicone has some security tips

Daily Point

Former GOP Senate candidate reflects on Brian Thompson slaying

In the wake of the horrifying execution of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson, 50, outside the New York Hilton on Dec. 4, the worldwide discussion it prompted has meandered into the politics of medical insurance and other topics. But inside some large corporations, a different discussion has focused on what level of security top executives and their kin should have in potentially hazardous times.

If there’s a seasoned Long Islander qualified to speak on the topic, it’s Mike Sapraicone, 68, of Glen Head, who was the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate last month, a retired NYPD detective, and former owner and top executive of Squad Security, a high-end corporate security firm.

Soon after Thompson’s death, and later after the arrest of alleged killer Luigi Mangione, 26, in Pennsylvania, there came private calls and inquiries around the region about protocols and measures worth considering.

"If the business changes, it’ll change in the short term," Sapraicone told The Point on Tuesday. Company officials and others realize it costs money to properly secure people and facilities, and such an investment in protection becomes a serious commitment, he says. He talks about the long-term nature of the best security, which runs into cost considerations for clients.

Sometimes, he said, "people don’t take it seriously. They don’t think anything will happen to them. They want to show they’re tough." They may interfere with a professional security operation by insisting on sending members of a detail to pick up cleaning or do other errands when the person should be close at hand.

If there’s a theme for Sapraicone’s take on the notorious Thompson slaying, it’s that circumstances and people vary when it comes to security threats. If Thompson had been accompanied instead of walking alone at 6:45 a.m. in midtown Manhattan, security might have picked up on someone having stalked or trailed him that morning or in days leading up to his death. But suspect Mangione’s lack of an obvious connection to UnitedHealthcare made the motive harder to gauge, Sapraicone said.

In general, Sapraicone said, he’s encountered executives who "wanted protection for his family, but not himself. He wants to talk to people and hang around." Some are difficult to "pin down," Sapraicone said.

"The big guy, the CEO, knows everything," in some cases, he said.

Training and protocols for a private security detail are key, Sapraicone says, from armaments to CPR and first aid. "You can’t just throw bodies into it," he said. And in general, varying one’s daily movements and routine "is good advice."

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was reelected in November to the U.S. Senate with 59% of the vote. But election-night results showed Sapraicone winning Suffolk and Nassau counties, Staten Island, and a number of GOP-dominated counties upstate. So far, Sapraicone is not known to be considering another run. In his first-ever campaign, he emphasized the rule of law as an issue.

— Dan Janison dan.janison@newsday.com

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High anxiety

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