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.

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.

Toulon, 55, of Lake Grove, is running on the Democratic, Conservative and Independence party lines. He worked in the New York City Department of Corrections for 25 years, retiring this year as deputy commissioner. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Monroe College, a master’s in business administration from Dowling College and a doctorate in education. He worked under County Executive Steve Bellone as an assistant deputy county executive for public safety from 2012 to 2014 before rejoining the city Department of Corrections. A two-time cancer survivor, he counsels other cancer patients. He has coached roller hockey and ice hockey for seven years. A widower, he is remarried and has two sons.

Toulon said with decades working in corrections, he’s the most experienced candidate in the race. The sheriff’s largest responsibility is oversight of Suffolk jails. As head of the gang unit of Rikers Island, he worked on the investigation in coordination with the NYPD that took down 37 members of the Bloods gang last year. He also oversaw the application investigation unit, the training academy, emergency management office, fire safety and nutritional services. “It makes me well-rounded to walk in on day one and know the true correctional practices that are occurring,” Toulon said. He said he would increase training for correctional officers and he wants to strengthen the re-entry program for inmates, including working with faith-based organizations and community leaders to reduce recidivism.

Zacarese, 42, of Kings Park, is running on the Republican and Reform party lines in his first run for public office. Zacarese is assistant chief of the Stony Brook University police and the university’s emergency management office, a post he has held for eight years. Earlier, he was an NYPD officer for a decade, serving at various times as a plainclothes anti-crime officer, a paramedic and a canine dog handler in the emergency services unit as well as a narcotics enforcement sergeant. Zacarese, a lawyer, holds a bachelor’s degree in forensic psychology, a master’s in public administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a law degree from Touro Law Center. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. He is an instructor at the Suffolk County Fire Academy and an adjunct instructor at Stony Brook University Graduate School of Professional Development. He is also an advanced life support paramedic for the Commack Volunteer Ambulance Corps. He is married, with four kids.

Zacarese said his successful challenge of the party-backed candidate in the Republican primary shows he won’t be beholden to party leaders, if elected. He said his message against the political establishment “resonated with voters in the primary. I’m confident it will resonate with voters in the general election.” He said he would maintain current Suffolk jail policy of cooperation with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement when it wants the jail to hold prisoners who are living here illegally. Zacarese also said he will work to seek improved drug treatment of prisoners to provide a pathway to recovery and to reduce recidivism. He said the jail currently has fewer than three positions aimed at drug and alcohol addiction counseling and he would seek to add resources.