Though the modern iteration of the New York City Sheriff's Office was formed nearly 80 years ago, the agency has remained essentially hidden in plain sight for most of the public, overshadowed by the much larger and high profile NYPD. But in recent months, the Sheriff's Office has become more visible, becoming the face of Mayor Bill de Blasio's pandemic law enforcement, fanning out across the city to shut down marathon raves, illicit Halloween parties, and fight clubs.

The small agency currently employs 159 deputies and 12 other employees, including auditors. Their numbers are nowhere near the NYPD, which has more than 36,000 uniformed officers.

The role and functions of the NYC Sheriff and the NYPD are deceptively similar.

Sheriff Joseph Fucito, who oversees the office, said that sheriffs have been the bedrock of law enforcement for centuries, dating back to when the role was created in England upon the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215. "Usually, if there's no one to do it, then it usually defaults to the Sheriff."

With that in mind, here’s a brief explainer the role of the New York City Sheriff’s Office.

What does the NYC Sheriff’s office typically do?

The New York City Sheriff's Office functions as the civil enforcement arm that carries out mandates for the New York State Court unified court system. Their mandates are broad, according to city and state laws, and run parallel to the NYPD, which investigates criminal laws that are then adjudicated in a court of law. The sheriff takes cues from the court system if ordered to affect evictions, carry out orders of protection, serve warrants for people dodging court orders, collect judgements, and seize property from delinquent New Yorkers.

They also carry out other state mandates—orders that are in the books as enforced by the state court system and state government—including Public Health Law (more on that later).

And in NYC, the Sheriff's Office operates out of the city's Department of Finance.

The Sheriff is part of the NYC Department of Finance? Why?

They were folded into the NYC Department of Finance in 1994 as a way of consolidating certain administrative functions of the office. Yes, under state law, New York City sheriffs and their deputies are considered peace officers, unlike other parts of New York State where sheriffs and deputies are considered police officers.

Peace officers are tasked with collecting taxes if they are part of a taxation and finance department. By way of the City Charter, city officials have applied that state law and placed the Sheriff's Office under the New York City Department of Finance. The sheriff also doubles as a deputy commissioner tasked to collect water, property, and city taxes.

But the office, while also affecting arrests, does investigate financial crimes. Within the Department of Finance, the Sheriff's Office has a unit that probes crimes including cigarette tax enforcement, deed fraud, sale of narcotics sold at stores (e.g. K2), and "crimes against the Department of Finance" (of which there are many).

Can they arrest people?

Yes, a sheriff and its deputies are sworn law enforcement officers—they take a civil service exam to become one—whose job is to ensure the laws, civil or criminal, are being abided. In 2019, the Sheriff's Office made 2,763 arrests, or an average of 18 arrests per officer.

Can they carry guns?

Yes, state and city laws allow sheriffs and their deputies to carry firearms.

But what changed during the pandemic?

De Blasio has given more mandates to the Sheriff's Office, including one falling under the state's Public Health Law that enforces Cuomo's emergency order prohibiting large gatherings, and enforces social distancing and mask wearing. That order went into effect on April 30th.

Initially, the NYPD was the agency making sure the order was being followed, assigned to break up house parties and other events violating the emergency order. But after the NYPD was criticizing for using excessive force in enforcing social distancing protocols—criminal justice advocates dubbed it the new stop and frisk.

Tensions between the NYPD and particularly minorities over new pandemic rules reached a low in May after an NYPD plainclothes officer was caught beating a bystander during a social distancing enforcement action. That police officer, Francisco Garcia, is no longer with the NYPD.

About a week after the beating, de Blasio said that the NYPD would no longer enforce social distancing, opting instead to "reset" the approach and have "civilian employees" spread a message of compliance.

Up until then, the Sheriff's Office was not taking the lead in enforcing the governor's order, but in May, the city officially moved that responsibility to the Sheriff's Office under Public Health Law, Section 309, paragraph e. Now they also enforce travel restrictions.

How many parties have they broken up?

The Sheriff's Office has broken up nearly 40 underground parties since, beginning with a large bust of Liberty Belle, an illegal boat party, in August. Other underground events they've intervened in include Halloween parties in the Bronx and Brooklyn. "It's quite a lot," Fucito said, estimating that roughly 450 civil summonses and appearance tickets have been handed out since then.

During a recent attempt to arrest the operator of a Staten Island bar violating COVID-19 restrictions, one Sheriff deputy was injured when the suspect allegedly drove into him while attempting to flee in his car.

How does the Sheriff's Office hear about these underground parties?

The Sheriff's Office is usually alerted to underground parties through tips it receives from the office, or by scanning social media for any upcoming parties. The office, admittedly, is aware that it may not know every party that's happening on a given night, though Fucito picks up some subtle clues: Young people waiting in isolated locations to be picked up by a van, music equipment going inside a venue, or simply listening to loud music coming from a venue.