Just one week after federal agents raided his home, seizing his personal cell phone, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban announced his resignation yesterday.
According to CBS News, 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. today.
“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,” Caban wrote in the letter.
NYC Mayor Eric 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 yesterday regarding Caban’s resignation. “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.”
According to the report, Adams announced Tom Donlon will take over as interim commissioner of the department.
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.”
Caban’s resignation comes after U.S. attorneys seized cellphones from the commissioner and his twin brother last week, as well as the schools chancellor and two deputy mayors.
According to the CBS News report, sources say Caban’s twin, James, allegedly worked as a fixer for restaurants and nightclubs, smoothing things over between police and popular establishments around noise complaints and other violations.
Earlier this week, Caban denied reports he would step down, and Adams was hounded by reporters about his future with the department.
Caban’s attorney said in a statement he is not a target of any investigation, and he expects to fully cooperate with the government.
At this point, no one has been charged with any wrongdoing.