2018 New York Laws
VAT - Vehicle and Traffic
Title 7 - Rules of the Road
Article 24 - Traffic Signs, Signals and Markings
1115 - Interference With Official Traffic-Control Devices, Railroad Signs or Signals and Other Highway Appurtenances.

§ 1115. Interference  with  official traffic-control devices, railroad
  signs or signals and other highway appurtenances. (a) No  person  shall,
  without  lawful  authority, attempt to or in fact alter, deface, injure,
  knock down, cover, remove, or  otherwise  interfere  with  any  official
  traffic-control   device   or  any  railroad  sign  or  signal,  or  any
  inscription, shield, or insignia thereon, or any other part thereof; any
  bridge or similar structure; any  monument,  lamppost,  telephone  pole,
  fence,  walk,  curb,  tree,  rock cut or other appurtenance on a highway
  right of way.
(b) For the purposes of this section the following  terms  shall  have
  the following meanings:
1.  to  "deface"  shall  include,  but  not  be limited to, to damage,
  destroy, disfigure, erase, ruin, distort, spoil or otherwise change  the
  external  appearance  of  an  object by the use of chalk, crayon, paint,
  stain, ink or other similar material.
2. to "alter" a traffic-control  signal  shall  include,  but  not  be
  limited to, changing or attempting to change the signal indications of a
  traffic-control  signal  by  use  of a traffic-control signal preemption
  device.
3. "traffic-control signal preemption device" shall  mean  any  device
  designed  or  used to change or attempt to change the signal indications
  of a traffic-control signal.
(c) The presence in a vehicle of a traffic-control  signal  preemption
  device  connected  to  a  power  source  and in an operable condition is
  presumptive evidence of its use by any person  operating  such  vehicle.
  Such presumption shall be rebutted by any credible and reliable evidence
  which tends to show that such device was not in use.