NYPD commissioner expected to step down amid federal probe
NEW YORK — NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban is expected to resign his post in the coming days, following news of a federal investigation involving possible corruption, four people familiar with the matter told POLITICO.
Caban was scheduled to meet with police brass Monday, as he weighs a decision that is not entirely his to make, according to two people who were granted anonymity to speak freely about a sensitive matter.
As of Monday afternoon, he had not officially resigned.
“We remain focused on ensuring New Yorkers are safe every single day, and that’s our top priority,” City Hall spokesperson Fabien Levy said. “We’re not going to speculate on rumors at this point.”
Mayor Eric Adams, who readily stands by embattled aides, said of Caban during an unrelated press conference Monday that "I chose him for his experience and what he brought after 30-something years of service."
"Rumors are always out there," Adams said. "There was nothing that came from me that fed those rumors."
However, when the mayor was asked if he could guarantee Caban would still be the police commissioner in two months, he declined to do so.
“I don't think anything in life in guaranteed," he said.
The move would mark the first staff shakeup in the upper ranks of Adams’ administration since federal investigators last week descended upon the homes of several top city officials. They also seized Caban’s phone and requested phones from the police commissioner’s twin brother, James, the commissioner’s chief of staff and Deputy Inspector Robert Gault, among others, POLITICO reported.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the IRS are working on the investigation, NBC New York first reported. Other top members of Adams’ administration — including First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III — were raided by investigators, who seized their phones on Wednesday morning.
Federal agents also sought electronic devices from Banks’ brother — a consultant named Terence Banks, who works with firms with business before the city — and an aide to Adams named Tim Pearson, who holds sway over the police department, but has nebulous responsibilities.
But Caban appears to be receiving the most heat over the last few days.
Both the conservative New York Post editorial board — which has been friendly to Adams — and progressive City Council Member Lincoln Restler, a mayoral adversary, have called on the police commissioner to resign in recent days.
The move would deal a blow to Adams as he gears up for reelection. The moderate Democrat promoted himself as a competent manager and made public safety the keystone of an administration now embroiled in federal probes, including one into his 2021 campaign.
The latest probe involves James Caban’s nightlife consulting business and whether he profited off his brother’s role as commissioner of the NYPD, the New York Post first reported.
In an interview Friday with PIX11, Adams said Caban has driven crime down and that “he could continue to do his job,” despite the investigation. Asked if he had “full confidence” in Caban, Adams said he did.
Adams appointed Caban in July 2023, after former Commissioner Keechant Sewell resigned following just 18 months amid frustrations over her oversight in City Hall.
Emily Ngo contributed to this report.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this report misspelled Terence Banks' name.
