Michael Sanicola

Adjunct Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice

Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice

CONTACT INFORMATION

Education

• BS, SUNY
• MS, Fairleigh Dickinson University

Courses

• Criminology
• Criminal Investigation
• Controversies in Policing
• Juvenile Justice Procedures
• Civil Rights & Administration of Justice The History of Mass Shootings & Evolution of the Tactical Police Response

Research

• Broken Windows Theory Policing Mass Casualty Events
• Active Shooters and the Law Enforcement Response
• Community-Police Engagement
• Criminal Justice Reform

Academic Profile

Professor Michael Sanicola is a former Lieutenant-Detective Homicide Squad Commander with the New York City Police Department (NYPD).  He served over twenty-five years in Brooklyn’s East Flatbush 67th and Crown Heights 71st Precincts. In the final phase of his NYPD career, Professor Sanicola was the Commanding Officer of the Security Detail and Advance Team to the Chief of Department. In this assignment, he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of all seven enforcement bureaus, Patrol Services Bureau, the Housing Bureau, the Transit Bureau, the Detective Bureau, the Special Operations Bureau, the Transportation Bureau, and the Community Affairs Bureau. He was the investigative commander on all police-involved shootings for the Chief of Department and had investigative command and oversight on all non-fatal shootings and every homicide that occurred in NYC. Professor Sanicola had functional authority and supervision on all NYPD strategic and continuous counterterro  rism deployments: The elite, heavily armed, tactical ‘Hercules’ team, Transit Operational Response Canine Heavy Weapons (TORCH), Critical Response Vehicle (CRV) initiative, Transit Order Maintenance Sweeps, (TOMS), and Multi-Agency Surges (MAS).

Professor Sanicola holds an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from the State University of New York and a graduate degree in Administrative Science/Criminal Justice from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Following his career in the NYPD, he transitioned into security management and was chosen to be the seminal Director of Public Safety at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City and Director of Security at the Trinity School also in NYC. He is on the executive board of the NYPD Honor Legion having served as its 1st and 2nd Vice President and most recently as Vice Chairman of the Honorary members. He is an active member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.