New York Police Department commissioner Edward Caban announced his resignation on Thursday, eight days after authorities seized his phone as part of a federal investigation into possible corruption.
The investigation reportedly involves the activities of Caban’s twin brother, James, a former police officer who owns a nightclub security business. Federal investigators seized the phones of several New York City officials, including the two brothers, to determine whether James’s business benefited from his ties to Edward and the NYPD.
This is one of four federal investigations centering on high-ranking officials tied to Mayor Eric Adams, who himself is facing a probe into his campaign connections with the Turkish government.
Caban had been facing calls to resign from the Adams administration, which asked him to step aside on Monday, according to sources cited by the New York Times. Caban, who served the NYPD for over 30 years, became the first Latino commissioner in July 2023.
“My complete focus must be on the NYPD — the department I profoundly honor and have dedicated my career to serving,” Caban wrote in an email to the police department. “However, the noise around recent developments has made that impossible and has hindered the important work our city requires.”
The embattled official said it was for the “good of this city and this department” to resign amid the probe.
Caban’s attorneys said their client is not a target of the investigation, noting they were told so by the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, which is looking into the matter. The former commissioner intends to fully cooperate with the government, his lawyers added.
Caban is not charged or accused of any wrongdoing. The claims appear to primarily revolve around his brother.
At least four deputies to Adams had their phones confiscated last week as well, possibly relating to other potential crimes.
Shortly after Caban stepped down, Adams announced former FBI official Tom Donlon as the interim NYPD commissioner. With an expertise in domestic and overseas counterterrorism, Donlon worked on the 1993 World Trade Center bombing investigation, which resulted in five convictions in federal court, as well as the al-Qaeda-led attacks on U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998 and the USS Cole in 2000.
“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,” Donlon said. “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.”
Donlon is the third NYPD commissioner to be appointed in less than three years.