Newsman: New York City police commissioner Edward Caban has resigned citing the “distraction” created by news of the investigations.
Police commissioner Caban sent a letter to the department, saying the news surrounding the raids had “created a distraction.” His resignation is effective at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13.
“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,” Edward Caban wrote.
Mayor Adams said he respects Caban’s decision to step down and touted NYPD achievements under his leadership including getting more than 18,000 illegal guns off the streets and major reductions in shootings and robberies.
“Edward Caban concluded that this is the best decision at this time. I respect his decision and I wish him well,” Adams said Thursday afternoon. “Commissioner Caban dedicated his life to making our city safer, and we saw a drop in crime for 13 of the 14 months he served as commissioner.”
Federal authorities haven’t disclosed the subjects of the investigations. Besides the police commissioner, phones were taken from the head of the public schools system, a top deputy mayor, and two top advisers to Adams on public safety issues.
Investigators seized devices from Caban’s twin brother, James Caban, a former NYPD sergeant who runs a nightclub security business. They also conducted searches related to Terence Banks, who is the brother of Adams’ top deputy on public safety, Phil Banks, and Education Chancellor David Banks.
In separate investigations, federal authorities have previously seized phones from Adams, searched the home of one of his top campaign fundraisers, and searched two homes linked to his director of Asian affairs.
Mayor Adams later Thursday, announced that he was appointing Thomas Donlon as the interim police commissioner. Donlon is a national security expert who previously ran the FBI’s National Threat Center and the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorist Task Force. He was also the New York state director of the Office of Homeland Security.
Tom Donlon released a statement, saying he is “honored and humbled” to take the helm.
“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 wrote. “I want to thank outgoing Commissioner Caban for his service to this department throughout his more than 30-year career and I look forward to building on the progress this administration has made keeping New York City the safest big city in America.”
