Embattled NYPD commissioner resigns

New York Police Commissioner Edward Caban has resigned, Mayor Eric Adams (D) said Thursday at a press conference, nearly a week after the FBI seized Caban’s devices in a federal investigation.

Adams said he accepted Caban’s resignation Thursday.

“He concluded that this is the best decision at this time. I respect his decision and I wish him well,” the mayor said, while touting a drop in crime during Caban’s tenure leading the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

Caban said he made the decision to step down from his role after the “news around recent developments … created a distraction for our department,” The Associated Press reported after obtaining an email from Caban to the police department.

“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 wrote, the news service said.

“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 added, NBC New York reported.

His decision comes roughly a week after FBI agents conducted searches at the home of Caban and at least three top deputies to Adams. The NYPD told The Hill last week it was aware of and cooperating with an investigation involving members of its service but did not expand on any details of the probe.

The subject of the probe, which is being spearheaded by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, is still unclear. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York declined The Hill’s request for comment last week.

Other officials whose devices were taken by the FBI last week included First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright; Philip Banks, the deputy mayor for public safety; and Timothy Pearson, a mayoral adviser and former official with the New York Police Department, the AP reported last week, citing two individuals who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Adams on Thursday maintained he was not aware of these inquiries until they became public.

“I was as surprised as you to learn of these inquiries and I take them extremely seriously. I spent more than 20 years in law enforcement and so every member of the administration knows my expectations that we must follow the law,” he said. “I also made clear that our administration will remain focused on delivering for the people of our great city and we continue to do that. “

The Hill has reached out to the NYPD for further comment. 

Last week’s searches marked the latest instance of federal scrutiny of Adams’s circle. Adams became mayor in 2022 after serving as Brooklyn’s borough president and state senator.

Adams had his home raided by the FBI earlier this year as part of an investigation conducted by the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn. Months before, his associates’ homes were searched as part of a federal corruption probe centered on the mayor’s 2021 election campaign, which allegedly conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal foreign donations.  

Federal agents seized Adams’s phones and iPad as he left an event in Manhattan last November, and he, his campaign arm and City Hall received federal subpoenas earlier this summer.

A source familiar with the matter told The Hill last week the recent raids did not appear to be related to the Turkey investigation.

The Hill reached out to Adams’s office for comment Thursday.

Caban’s twin brother, James Caban, who leads a nightclub security business, is also being investigated by federal authorities, a person familiar with the matter told the AP.

The Associated Press contributed

Updated at 1 p.m. EDT