Mamdani will appoint prominent NYPD critic as New York City's sheriff

Mayor Zohran Mamdani plans to appoint Edwin Raymond, a former NYPD officer whistleblower, as New York City sheriff. Raymond is described as principled and committed to justice, with a focus on public safety rooted in effectiveness, accountability, and public trust. He will replace Anthony Miranda, appointed by Mayor Eric Adams, who faced investigation after unlicensed smoke shop owners alleged cash went missing following sheriff’s department raids. Raymond has advocated policing reform, including serving as lead plaintiff in a 2015 lawsuit alleging NYPD arrest quotas disproportionately affected Black and Latino men. The case was dismissed in federal court and is under appeal. Raymond later wrote a book about his shift from cop to reformer and ran for City Council in 2020.

"“Edwin Raymond represents the kind of public servant New Yorkers deserve: principled, courageous and deeply committed to justice,” Mamdani said in a statement. “Throughout his career, he has fought to build a public safety system rooted in effectiveness, accountability and public trust. Edwin understands that true safety comes when government earns the confidence of the people it serves, and I am proud to welcome him to our administration as Sheriff of the City of New York.”"

"Raymond replaces Anthony Miranda, who was appointed by Mayor Eric Adams and came under investigation after owners of unlicensed smoke shops said some of their cash went missing following raids by the sheriff's department. The outcome of those inquiries wasn't immediately available. Miranda did not return a call seeking comment."

"In appointing Raymond, Mamdani is tapping a reform-minded ex-officer to steady the sheriff's office. Raymond did not respond to a request for comment. But in a City Hall press release that will be issued on Friday, he said, “Growing up in East Flatbush as the son of Haitian immigrants, I experienced both the public safety challenges facing working-class communities and the inequities that too often undermine trust in government.”"

"Raymond has been an outspoken proponent of policing reform. In 2015, he was the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit that accused the NYPD of using arrest quotas that disproportionately affected Black and Latino men. The NYPD denied using race-based quotas. The case was dismissed in federal court, but is currently under appeal. He later chronicled his journey from cop to reformer in a book titled 'An Inconvenient Cop: My Fight to Change Policing in America.'"

Read at Gothamist