2026 New York General Election

Juan Figueroa

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“The flag, the military, and law enforcement belong to all of us, not to any political party. I am a patriotic American, former Commissioned Marine Officer, retired NY State Trooper, and your Sheriff - and I am a proud Democrat.”

— Juan Figueroa

After four years of active duty, Juan served 18 years with the Marine Corps Reserve. He became a New York State Trooper in 1988, patrolling Ulster County. Among the highlights of his 25-year State Trooper career were investigations of money laundering/narcotics and drug cartels.

Juan Figueroa | Ulster Votes

Juan Figueroa is a former commissioned officer in the Marine Corps and a retired New York State Trooper.

Kingston, NY, Jan 14, 2026—Sheriff Juan Figueroa announced today that he is seeking a third term as Ulster County Sheriff to ensure that public safety and equal protection under the law remain the bedrock of county law enforcement.

Sheriff Figueroa was first elected in 2018 on a platform that called for implementing community policing, promoting treatment over incarceration for low-level offenders, and ensuring that the county was safe and even-handed for everyone. Those promises were kept and in 2022 Figueroa ran unopposed.

Sheriff Juan Figueroa Announces Run for Reelection (PDF)

Juan currently serves as Ulster County Sheriff. He was first elected in 2018.

Improving Police-Community Relations

In response to the killing of George Floyd and the call for racial justice, all members of the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office participated in groundbreaking Officer-Citizen Interaction Training. We will continue to build bridges rather than walls between law enforcement and the people we serve.

Protecting the Rights of Immigrants

I supported the Green Light bill that allowed undocumented immigrants drivers licenses, making us all safer. We stopped cooperating with ICE, allowing undocumented immigrants to come out of the shadows.

Caring for Our Officers

Law enforcement is a tough job that taxes the physical and mental health of officers. We have initiated an Employee Assistance Program and Helping Every Responder Overcome—Resilience Project to ensure that our rank and file are at their best both physically and mentally, so they can better serve the community.

Enhanced law-enforcement training in de-escalation and implicit bias.

During that first term, the Sheriff’s Office created ORACLE in 2019—an initiative that embedded a social worker and peer advocates with law enforcement on overdoses—and expanded it with a $1.3 million federal grant in 2022. Figueroa also enhanced law enforcement training, including community-police interaction, de-escalation and implicit bias training.

Implemented training on officer-citizen interactions for all sheriff's office members and plans to strengthen police-community relationships.

Supported the Green Light law allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses.

Ended cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to encourage undocumented immigrants to come forward.

Initiated officer wellness programs focused on employees' physical and mental health.

- Implemented training on officer-citizen interactions for all sheriff's office members and plans to strengthen police-community relationships.
- Supported the Green Light law allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses.
- Ended cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to encourage undocumented immigrants to come forward.
- Initiated officer wellness programs focused on employees' physical and mental health.

Public Safety

Provides jail-based pre-apprenticeships, General Educational Development classes, work-readiness, and career-development programming through IGNITE.

Figueroa’s second term built on these successes with such innovations as the Anti-Violence Effort Response Team (AVERT) to prevent violence, provide second chances to people caught up in nonviolent crime, and expand opportunities for young people. In the county jail, IGNITE provides pre-apprenticeships in carpentry with the local Carpenters Union, GED classes and testing, work-readiness and career development.

Jail Management

Fighting the Opioid Crisis

Opioid Response as County Law Enforcement (ORACLE) began soon after I took office in 2019. With a $900,000 grant, we have expanded it beyond education to include a social worker, peer advocates and case manager who are embedded with law enforcement. We steer addicts into treatment rather than incarceration.

Preventing Youth Violence

The Anti-Violence Response Team (AVERT) works to keep high-risk young people out of the criminal justice system and give incarcerated people an opportunity to stay out of jail once they are released. It includes job training, mental health services, gun buybacks—whatever it takes to break the cycle of violence.

Plans to ask regional businesses to provide employment opportunities for people with low-level convictions.

One of his ideas is to help low level offenders find work, to decrease likelihood of future crimes.
"The younger kids, people in their 20s and 30s that made one mistake, I'm going to join the Chamber of Commerces in the tri-county area and ask these businesses, you need people to work... well there are some folks out there that made one mistake, why not give them a chance?," he said.

Figueroa said his top priority is community policing and building relationships within the community.

Sheriff Juan Figueroa Takes Office in Ulster County

Expanded opioid-response services that steer people with addiction into treatment rather than incarceration.

Implemented the Anti-Violence Response Team, providing services intended to keep high-risk young people out of the criminal justice system and support reentry.

- Expanded opioid-response services that steer people with addiction into treatment rather than incarceration.
- Implemented the Anti-Violence Response Team, providing services intended to keep high-risk young people out of the criminal justice system and support reentry.