New York sheriff accused of manipulating traffic on the LIE with lights and sirens

New York Sheriff Anthony Miranda is accused of repeatedly using his police vehicle's hazard lights and siren to speed through rush hour traffic on his way to work, the Daily News has learned. He also occasionally used the siren to escort his adult son to work.

The New York City Deputy Sheriffs' Association, the union that represents Miranda's rank-and-file sheriffs, is calling for an investigation into what it calls a clear violation of Miranda's authority, said President Ingrid Simonovic.

The complaints filed with the city's Bureau of Investigation, which included photos and videos, say Miranda uses his patrol car's blue lights and sirens to get to work “every day, except in an emergency.”

“He has a double standard, one for himself and one for everyone else,” Simonovic said. “There is no reason to turn on the blue lights and sirens when there is no emergency, but he does it every day just to get to work. If one of my people was accused of doing that, [Miranda] would have conducted an investigation and requested termination.

“You can't be a hypocrite,” she said. “If you want to enforce the law, you have to obey the law.”

The complaint filed with the DOI on October 12, 2023, with photos of his unmarked SUV, included the department ID number and license plate of the vehicle used by Miranda, the sheriff's home address in Queens, and the times he drives to work on the normally congested Long Island Expressway toward Manhattan.

“He drives very aggressively and dangerously,” the complaint states, adding that Miranda's car is often seen speeding along the right shoulder, overtaking rush hour traffic “at a speed that exceeds the traffic conditions.”

“It is corrupt that everyone else has to sit in traffic, but he can abuse his position to avoid traffic,” the complaint to the DOI states. “He does this at the expense of the safety of all other motorists.”

Six days later, the DOI complaint was followed by another allegation that Miranda sped through rush hour traffic with his lights and sirens flashing “to allow his son to follow him in his personal car” as the two headed toward the Long Island Expressway.

The son was driving an SUV with an ad promoting Miranda's failed 2020 run for Queens borough president.

“Anthony Miranda is abusing his position in the city to enrich himself and his family members, who will no longer have to wait in traffic like everyone else,” the anonymous complaint states. “This comes at the expense of the safety of all motorists on the highway during rush hour.”

The drive from Miranda's house to his office can take between 25 and 45 minutes in heavy traffic. He cuts that time by avoiding traffic, a source said.

A spokeswoman for the DOI declined to comment on the complaints when asked.

Miranda did not return a call about the allegations. When reached, Miranda's son refused to discuss it.

In October, Miranda was also the subject of a handful of 311 calls complaining that he had taken over “the entire cul-de-sac” where his house is located to set up a tent and a portable basketball hoop.

By the end of the month, the items had been removed from the cul-de-sac. The 311 complaints were investigated and dismissed, city officials said.

“We hold every member of this administration to the highest ethical standards and are confident that Sheriff Miranda will continue to uphold those standards,” a city spokeswoman said. “Anyone with concerns can forward their complaints, and as with any complaint, they will be investigated.”

The city's deputy sheriff said he was surprised by Miranda's behavior.

“This is a guy who constantly sends emails telling us to show integrity and never break the law,” the source said. “He always tells us if we know someone doing something wrong, we need to report them. I guess it means do what they say, not what they do.”

Mayor Adams selected the politically well-connected Miranda to take over as city sheriff in May 2022. Before becoming city sheriff, Miranda was a sergeant in the NYPD, director of security for the Administration for Children's Services, and longtime chairman of the National Latino Officers Association.

Tensions between the union and Miranda are high. Over the past two years, the union has filed more than 13 complaints against Miranda and its executives with the Office of Collective Bargaining, the Public Employee Safety and Health Bureau, the New York Department of Finance's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the state Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the New York City Office of Labor Relations for workplace misconduct. By comparison, the union filed just one labor complaint in the four years before Miranda's appointment.

Union members claim Miranda created a “hostile work environment” that led several rank-and-file sheriff's deputies to quit their jobs.

While the city's deputy sheriffs are responsible for a variety of duties, including issuing court orders and cracking down on illegal cigarette sales, the agency's primary mission under Miranda is to combat illegal marijuana shops across the five boroughs. More than 850 illegal marijuana shops have been shut down since April, when the city launched a multi-agency crackdown on illegal cannabis shops, nicknamed “Operation Padlock to Protect.”