The encounter began when Gonzalez stopped Calvo for the illegal turn. According to the officer, Calvo activated the vehicle\u2019s emergency lights after the traffic stop was already under way, appearing to use the lights to avoid being stopped for the infraction.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou engaged your police lights for me not to go after you, after you committed an infraction,\u201d Gonzalez told Calvo during the stop.<\/p>\n
Calvo said the vehicle belonged to him and added, \u201cI was pulling over because I thought that you were doing something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gonzalez pushed back on the explanation, warning Calvo that activating the emergency lights could have criminal consequences.<\/p>\n
When Gonzalez asked for if Calvo was driving a police car, he responded, \u201cThis is, I\u2019m an elected official,\u201d before presenting identification.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t care if you\u2019re the mayor,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cIf I\u2019m stopping you, and you\u2019re not a police officer, you need to stop and not engage your police lights.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gonzalez warned Calvo that, because he was not a sworn police officer, using a vehicle equipped with emergency lights could potentially result in prison time under a state statute that makes it a third degree felony to falsely pretend to be a law enforcement officer. But Calvo was not arrested. The officer issued two traffic citations instead.<\/p>\n
After the traffic stop, municipal attorneys told the Herald that Calvo\u2019s actions could raise ethics questions. However, the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust declined to comment when asked about the incident.<\/p>\n
Before Friday\u2019s hearing, Calvo had already entered not-guilty pleas to both citations, which carry a combined $308 in fines, according to Miami-Dade County court records. The citations list the violations as \u201cTraffic Control Device \u2014 Fail to Obey Traffic Control Device (Sign)\u201d and \u201cProhibited Lights on Vehicle \u2014 Red\/Blue\/Flashing.\u201d<\/p>\n
When the Herald first reported on the infractions<\/a> in June, Calvo issued a statement through his spokesperson saying: \u201cI was issued two civil traffic citations while operating a city-owned vehicle assigned to me as mayor. One citation relates to a traffic maneuver and the second concerns equipment that was installed on a vehicle owned by and registered to the Hialeah Police Department, a vehicle that was retrofitted before I took office and before the vehicle was assigned to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Calvo has not issued any additional statements.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Miami Herald<\/p>\n