Two high-ranking members of the city Sheriff’s Office have resigned, the Daily News has learned.
Wilfredo Perez and Thomas Egan, both hired in September by Sheriff Anthony Miranda, abruptly submitted their resignations Monday night, the Sheriff’s office said.
Perez, who was hired as chief of investigators, oversaw multiple units within the Sheriff’s office, including the Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Electronic Monitoring Unit, and the Marshal’s Unit.
Egan, who had assumed the position of chief of operations, was tasked with overseeing the Sheriff Department’s law enforcement bureaus and sheriff’s academy.
Perez’s resignation is effective March 10, while Egan officially stepped down Monday. Their responsibilities will be handled by several staff members across both the operations and investigations teams, the Sheriff’s office said.
“We are grateful for the work Wilfredo Perez and Thomas Egan have done every day to maintain and improve public safety, and we wish them the best during their retirement,” a spokesperson with the Public Relations Bureau said in a statement Tuesday. “We are confident that the Sheriff’s Office operations will continue to run smoothly.”
The resignations come amid criticism of Miranda’s leadership, with Sheriff’s Union President Ingrid Simonovic alleging in September that Miranda is “just hooking up” friends at the National Latino Officers Association where both he and Perez serve as board members, The News has previously reported.
Simonovic had criticized Perez and Egan’s appointments, claiming the resources would have been better used to hire at least eight new deputy sheriffs.
In March, Perez was fired from the Department of Correction after filing complaints about his superior’s conduct. In his high-profile position with the Sheriff’s office, he earned a $180,000 salary. Despite his ousting, Perez’s lawyer defended the appointment, calling him the “right man for the job.”
Egan’s salary as chief of operations was $190,000.