The images from a police body camera have revealed the tense dialogue between the mayor of Hialeah, Bryan Calvo, and an officer from the Miami Police Department during a traffic stop that took place on June 14 in Coconut Grove, where the official ended up receiving two tickets totaling 308 dollars.
The video was obtained by the Miami Herald and circulated recently.
The images show the motorcycle officer Yasmani González stopping Calvo for turning left from a lane designated exclusively for right turns.
However, the exchange escalated when the agent noticed that the black Chevrolet owned by the Hialeah Police Department had turned on its red and blue emergency lights once the stop had already begun.
"I am an elected official."
When González asked for identification, the mayor's response set the tone for everything that followed.
"I am an elected official," said Calvo.
"Excuse me?" responded the police officer, visibly surprised.
The officer then directed his attention to the vehicle: "Is this a police car? Is it personal?"
Upon Calvo confirming that the car was his, González was straightforward:
"You have police lights, and I just stopped you at a traffic checkpoint, and you turn on your police lights to let you go after you committed an infraction."
The criminal warning
The agent warned the mayor about the legal consequences of activating that type of lights without being a law enforcement officer.
“That is a criminal offense, and I can easily take you to jail. So I don’t care if you’re the mayor. If I stop you and you’re not police, you have to pull over and not turn on your police lights,” González said.
When explaining the citations, the officer was even more precise:
"You were in possession of a police vehicle, but you were not a police officer, which could constitute a third-degree felony."
González also pointed out that in Miami, officials who require that type of transportation usually go accompanied by an officer
"Obviously, you are not with any other police officer, you do not have police authority to operate this vehicle and activate the police lights."
After a phone call lasting more than 16 minutes—with the audio muted in the video—the agent returned and issued the two civil citations.
The mayor's version
In a statement, Calvo attributed the situation to the vehicle's prior equipment:
"One of the fines is related to a traffic maneuver, and the second pertains to equipment installed in a vehicle owned by the Hialeah Police Department; a vehicle that was modified before I took office and before it was assigned to me."
However, Jose Smith, former city attorney for Miami Beach and North Miami Beach, was unequivocal when consulted by the Miami Herald.
Calvo "does not meet any of the state exceptions," and "a mayor does not have the authority to operate a municipal vehicle equipped with emergency lights."
The reaction on social media and the mayor's history
The video generated a wave of criticism centered on the alleged unequal treatment under the law.
"Anyone else would have been arrested on the spot," wrote a user.
"The rules apply to everyone," noted another.
Several praised the officer: "At least one police officer had the courage to do the right thing."
Calvo, at 27 years old, is the youngest mayor in the history of Hialeah and the state of Florida.
This is not his first traffic incident: in July 2023, while serving as a councilman, he was stopped for disregarding a traffic signal in a red Tesla, and the $277 fine was dismissed at the request of the officer who issued it.
The case remains pending in the Miami-Dade County courts with no preliminary hearing date set.
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