Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday said he accepted the resignation of New York Police Department Commissioner Edward Caban, who stepped down amid a federal probe that resulted in federal agents seizing electronic devices from his home last week.
Tom Donlon, a former FBI official will serve as the interim commissioner, Adams said through a video address.
"Tom is an experienced law enforcement professional who has worked at the local, state, federal and international levels," the mayor said.
Adams said Donlon served as the New York director of the Office of Homeland Security, ran the FBI National Threat Center and the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Caban submitted his resignation letter to the mayor on Thursday and stated that the "news around recent developments has created a distraction for our department" and that he was unwilling to focus his attention on anything but the NYPD's work, the Gothamist reported.
“For the good of this city and this department – I have made the difficult decision to resign as police commissioner," Caban wrote.
The former commissioner started working for the police force in 1991 and was appointed as commissioner in July 2023, the first Latino to lead the NYPD.
Thirteen people had their residences raided by federal agents or their electronic devices subpoenaed on Sept. 4 and Sept. 5, as part of several ongoing federal investigations. This includes Caban, his twin brother James Caban, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks, and Deputy Mayor Philip Banks III, who is the brother of Chancellor Banks.
The mayor said he respected Caban's decision to resign, and that he wished him well.
State Senator Zelmor Myrie said the latest news surrounding Caban and other top City Hall officials was a "pattern of instability" within the Adams administration.
"As our city's housing shortage worsens and the cost of living rises, New Yorkers deserve steady, focused leadership from City Hall– rather than constant turnover and distractions," said Myrie, who is running for mayor in 2025.
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said the resigntion was the right move.
"The next police commissioner will need to meet the same qualifications as any other should – to have the trust of both the department and the city, to be legitimately committed to transparency and accountability, and to understand the roles law enforcement should and should not play in producing public safety," he said through a statement. "Too many actions under the current administration have undercut those aims.”
