Talk about New York’s Finest.
Samantha Sepulveda is a local police officer who doubles as a lingerie and swimsuit model and her sexy poses have garnered more than 110,000 followers on her @sammysep Instagram page.
Sepulveda, 32, is only 5-foot-2 but deceptively tough. She’s a fitness fanatic who wields her femininity more effectively than a firearm.
“I talk men into handcuffs all the time because they don’t want to fight me,”.
She joined the force in 2010. About three years later, a friend who worked for a lingerie and swimsuit company invited her to model in a runway fashion show and launched her new career.
Sepulveda refused to name her police department to avoid any notoriety, but a New York government Web site identifies her as an officer in Freeport, LI, making $143,000 last year.
A woman cop can be less intimidating to bad guys, Sepulveda said. “With a female officer, their guard is lowered. There’s less aggression and the situation is defused.”
When on duty, she works makeup-free with her hair pulled back in a bun and a uniform covering her curves. “I try to look as masculine as possible,” she said.
But the bilingual brunette can’t hide her allure. At crime scenes, she’s been made the butt of dumb jokes like “You can arrest me any time!”
Once, while patrolling the village — located about 35 miles east of Manhattan — she and a partner chased a man who had just beaten his wife and threatened to kill the officers running after him.
When he saw Sepulveda, he froze. “Holy s–t!” he gushed. “You’re the best-looking cop I’ve ever seen! Can I take you on a date?” She made the arrest.
Born in the Dominican Republic, Sepulveda came to the United States at age 5. Her mom worked in a factory while raising Sepulveda and a sister.
She won a lacrosse scholarship with the University of Massachusetts, and graduated cum laude with a BA in management She went on to earn an MBA in finance from Hofstra University.
But she became a cop instead of a stockbroker. “It sounds corny, but which career could I help people more in — money-driven Wall Street or civil service where you’re protecting people?”
Sepulveda has modeled in England, Spain, Australia, and Nicaragua.
She’s working on an inspirational book for young women, and using her finance skills to collaborate on a project to build sustainable energy plants in Thailand.
While many male cops moonlight in trades like plumbing and electrical work, Sepulveda takes some heat for her modeling profession.
“I’ve been under the microscope since I started,” she admitted.
Her photos “celebrate a woman’s body,” she said. “I don’t think they’re offensive.
If people find them offensive, close your eyes!”