NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban resigns: ‘My complete focus must be on the NYPD’

(NEW YORK) — New York City Police Commissioner Edward Caban is stepping down, he and his attorneys confirmed.

Word of the resignation also came in a letter from Caban’s attorney to City Hall. The resignation is effective Friday.

His resignation comes amid a federal investigation into possible corruption in New York City government that last week saw authorities seize cellphones belonging to Caban and other NYPD officials, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

Caban’s attorneys, Russell Capone and Rebekah Donaleski, said in a statement that they have been informed that Caban is “not a target of any investigation being conducted by the Southern District of New York” and that he “expects to cooperate fully with the government.”

Caban also said he will “continue to fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation.”

“My complete focus must be on the NYPD — the Department I profoundly honor and have dedicated my career to serving,” Caban said in a statement. “However, the noise around recent developments has made that impossible and has hindered the important work our city requires. I have therefore decided it is in the best interest of the Department that I resign as Commissioner.”

In an email to the NYPD obtained by ABC News, Caban did not address the probe directly, only saying he made the “difficult decision to resign” amid “recent developments.”

“My complete focus has always been on the NYPD — the department and people I love and have dedicated over 30 years of service to. However, the news around recent developments has created a distraction for our department, and 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 said in the email. “I hold immense respect and gratitude for the brave officers who serve this department, and the NYPD deserves someone who can solely focus on protecting and serving New York City, which is why — for the good of this city and this department — I have made the difficult decision to resign as Police Commissioner.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said during remarks on Thursday that he accepted Caban’s resignation and has appointed former FBI agent and former New York Homeland Security Director Tom Donlon as interim commissioner.

“I respect his decision and I wish him well,” he said of Caban. “Commissioner Caban dedicated his life to making our city safe, and we saw a drop in crime for the 13 of the 14 months that he served as commissioner.”

Federal agents last week also searched the homes of Deputy Mayor Phil Banks, Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and Schools Chancellor David Banks, according to sources. The FBI seized evidence, including electronics, as part of the searches, according to sources. No charges have been filed.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have declined to disclose details about what they are investigating, but sources said one focus involves city contracts and a second involves the enforcement of regulations governing bars and clubs.

Adams, who held the press briefing virtually after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier this week, said during his remarks Thursday that he was “surprised” to learn of inquiries into his administration.

“I take them extremely seriously,” he said. “I’ve spent more than 20 years in law enforcement, and so every member of my administration knows my expectations that we must follow the law.”

The mayor’s chief counsel said last week that investigators had not indicated to them that the mayor or his staff are targets of any investigation.

Adams also insisted last week that he was aware of no “misdoings” by anyone in his administration and pledged cooperation with the ongoing investigation.

“I say over and over again, as a former member of law enforcement, I’m very clear. We follow the rules. We make sure that we cooperate and turn over any information that is needed and it just really would be inappropriate to get in the way of the review while it’s taking place,” Adams said in an interview with CBS New York on Sept. 5. “I am not aware of any misdoings and I’m going to, again, follow the rules and I will continue to tell the team to do that. And that’s what they have been doing, to my knowledge.”

Several high-ranking NYPD officials, including Caban, received subpoenas for their cellphones on Sept. 5, according to sources. The following day, investigators sought the phones of additional police officials, including precinct commanders in Manhattan, and interviewed police officials at a building next to police headquarters, sources said.

“The Department is aware of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York involving members of service. The Department is fully cooperating in the investigation,” an NYPD spokesman said on Sept. 5, referring additional questions to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which declined to comment.

Caban’s family has connections to nightlife. Richard Caban, the brother of Edward Caban and a former NYPD lieutenant, owned a now-shuttered Bronx restaurant, Con Sofrito. Edward Caban’s twin brother, James Caban, a former NYPD sergeant, owned a Bronx apartment building that once had a bar on the first floor named Twins.

Caban began his NYPD career in 1991, as a police officer in the Bronx. He rose through the ranks, becoming the NYPD’s first deputy commissioner in 2022.

Adams appointed him as commissioner in July 2023 after Keechant Sewell, the city’s first female commissioner, stepped down.

Following news of the subpoena, City Councilman Robert Holden called on Caban to step down.

“I do think he has to do something because it does cast a bad, deep shadow over the police department,” Holden said on CBS’ “The Point with Marcia Kramer” on Sunday.

“We have to have confidence that he’s staying within the law. He sets an example for the whole department,” Holden said.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.