New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has dismissed Sheriff Anthony Miranda and appointed former NYPD officer and whistleblower Edwin Raymond as the new Sheriff of the city.
Miranda’s removal had been widely anticipated, as Mamdani has repeatedly pledged to restructure his administration and distance it from controversies linked to the previous Adams administration.
Announcing the appointment, Mamdani praised Raymond as a reform-minded public servant.
“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.”
Outgoing Sheriff Anthony Miranda declined to comment on his removal.
“I don’t have anything to say at this point,” he told the Daily News.
Raymond, a former NYPD officer known for his whistleblowing role, served for over a decade before retiring early to focus on police reform advocacy.
In 2015, he and 11 other officers filed a lawsuit against the NYPD, alleging that arrest and summons quotas violated state law and the 14th Amendment protections against racial discrimination.
He later authored the 2023 book An Inconvenient Cop: My Fight to Change Policing in America and also made an unsuccessful bid for City Council in 2021.
“I look forward to continuing that work as Sheriff by helping build a safer, fairer and more accountable city for all New Yorkers,” Raymond said.
Miranda’s tenure as sheriff had been clouded by controversy, particularly surrounding enforcement operations against illegal cannabis businesses during the Adams administration.
In 2024, city investigators reportedly examined allegations that the Sheriff’s Office improperly handled evidence from unlicensed marijuana shops, including the discovery of over $100,000 in cash stored in safes at the Queens office.
The cash was reportedly found in shipping containers at the agency’s Long Island City headquarters alongside a ledger with missing pages.
Additional scrutiny followed in 2025 when training programs for deputy sheriff recruits were disrupted after investigators found issues with certification of firearms and investigation instructors.
Despite delays, more than 80 cadets eventually graduated in what was described as the agency’s largest class.
Miranda also faced internal tensions within the department, with union members accusing him of creating a “hostile work environment” and contributing to staff departures.
He was appointed sheriff in May 2022 by then-Mayor Eric Adams.
