Son of Haitian immigrants Edwin Raymond officially sworn in as New York City Sheriff

Edwin Raymond was officially sworn in as New York City Sheriff on Monday, July 27, becoming the first Haitian New Yorker to hold the position.

The Brooklyn native and son of Haitian immigrants brings a career shaped by public service, police accountability and criminal justice reform. Raymond spent 15 years with the NYPD, rising to the rank of lieutenant before retiring in 2023. He became nationally recognized as a whistleblower after challenging alleged discriminatory arrest and summons quotas within the department. 

His fight for reform was documented in the Emmy Award-winning film Crime + Punishment, which followed Raymond and other Black and Latino officers who spoke out against alleged illegal policing quotas. The documentary won the 2019 Emmy for Outstanding Social Issue Documentary. 

Raymond is also the author of An Inconvenient Cop: My Fight to Change Policing in America, a memoir examining his experiences inside the NYPD and his broader campaign for police reform. The book was recognized as one of The Washington Post’s best nonfiction books of 2023 and was a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. 

As sheriff, Raymond will oversee civil enforcement operations, including court mandates, tax collection, property seizures and enforcement actions against unlicensed businesses.

His appointment represents a historic achievement for New York’s Haitian community while placing a prominent advocate for accountability at the head of one of the city’s oldest law enforcement institutions.