NEW YORK (WPIX) — New York Police Department Commissioner Edward Caban resigned on Thursday amid a federal investigation involving alleged corruption, according to Mayor Eric Adams.
Caban said he decided to resign after the “news around recent developments” had “created a distraction for our department,” according to an email to the police department obtained by The Associated Press.
“I am unwilling to let my attention be on anything other than our important work, or the safety of the men and women of the NYPD,” he added.
The resignation came one week after it emerged that his phone was seized as part of a federal investigation that touched several members of the mayor's inner circle.
“I spent more than 20 years in law enforcement,” Adams said during a press conference Thursday. “And so, every member of the administration knows my expectations that we must follow the law.”
Last week, federal officials seized phones from Caban and two NYPD lieutenants who worked in the commissioner’s office and on his detail, sources told Nexstar's WPIX. A lieutenant's phone in the 10th Precinct was also confiscated.
Federal authorities also requested phones from NYPD Chief of Staff Raul Pintos and two precinct commanders in Queens and Manhattan, according to sources. Sources said none of the officials are being questioned, but the NYPD has been asked to isolate emails from high-ranking executives.
The subject of the investigation, which is being led by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan, remains unclear, as does whether federal authorities were seeking information linked to one investigation or several.
Caban's attorneys, Russell Capone and Rebekah Donaleski, said in a statement Thursday that they had been told by the government that "he is not a target of any investigation being conducted by the Southern District of New York, and he expects to cooperate fully with the government.”
In July 2023, Caban became the first Hispanic person to hold the position of police commissioner of the NYPD.
New York City experienced a drop in crime during Caban's time as the NYPD commissioner, Adams said. He oversaw the removal of 18,000 illegal guns from the streets.
The NYPD also saw the lowest recorded number of shootings in New York City history in August, according to Adams.
Caban started his NYPD career in 1991, patrolling in the South Bronx. In 2022, Caban was the NYPD’s first deputy commissioner, according to NYC.gov. His father and three brothers were also in the NYPD.
"He concluded that this is the best decision at this time," Adams said of Caban. "I respect his decision and I wish him well."
At Thursday's news conference, Adams praised Caban for “making our city safer” and said he had named Tom Donlon, a retired FBI official, as the interim police commissioner. Donlon previously served as the chief of the FBI’s National Threat Center and once led the Office of Homeland Security in New York, before starting his own security firm in 2020.
The incoming interim police commissioner released a statement saying, "I am honored and humbled to be named interim-Commissioner of the New York City Police Department, the greatest law enforcement agency in the world. My goals are clear: continue the historic progress decreasing crime and removing illegal guns from our communities, uphold the highest standards of integrity and transparency, and support our dedicated officers who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe."
He continued by thanking Caban for his service to the NYPD and said, "I look forward to building on the progress this administration has made keeping New York City the safest big city in America.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
