New York City police commissioner resigns after federal investigators seize phone

[September 13, 2024]  By Jonathan Allen

NEW YORK (Reuters) -New York City Police Commissioner Edward Caban resigned on Thursday, a week after FBI agents seized his phone as part of multiple federal corruption investigations that have entangled senior city administration officials.

Caban, appointed in July 2023, was the first Hispanic to hold the post in the history of the New York Police Department, the nation's largest police force.

In a statement issued through his lawyers, Caban said he had been informed he was not the target of any investigation being conducted by the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan and that he would continue to cooperate with investigators.

"My complete focus must be on the NYPD," he said in his 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."

Last week, federal investigators seized cellphones belonging to Caban and his twin brother James Caban, a former police officer who was fired from the department in 2001 and now runs a nightclub security business, according to The City, a local news outlet. The commissioner faced mounting calls to resign, and Adams has faced growing questions about his ability to run the city without distraction.

Agents also seized phones and searched the homes of several other high-ranking officials and advisers in the administration of Mayor Eric Adams. In November, FBI agents seized electronic devices belonging to Adams.

New York City Police Commissioner Edward Caban attends a news conference at 1 Police Plaza in New York City, U.S., April 3, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

No one has been charged with wrongdoing. Adams, a former police captain who became mayor in 2022, has said he is cooperating with all investigations and has instructed his officials to do the same and that his priority remains serving New Yorkers.

"I was as surprised as you to learn of these inquiries and take them extremely seriously," Adams said in remarks on Thursday at City Hall. "My expectation is that we must follow the law." He commended a drop in crime under Caban's 14-month tenure, and said Caban's resignation was the "best decision at this time."

"I respect his decision and wish him well," Adams said.

He said he has appointed Tom Donlon, a former FBI official and the founder of a security consultancy firm, as the interim police commissioner.

Federal prosecutors at the U.S. attorney's offices in Manhattan and Brooklyn are overseeing four separate corruption investigations involving senior officials in the Adams administration, according to The City. They have declined to comment on the raids and ongoing investigations.

(Reporting by Katharine Jackson, Jonathan Allen and David Ljunggren; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Daniel Wallis)

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