NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban resigns — a week after federal raids: ‘For the good of this city’

NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban has resigned a week after the feds hit the top cop as part of a corruption probe involving possible influence peddling, The Post has learned.

Caban submitted a letter of resignation Thursday that Mayor Eric Adams said he accepted.

After Caban’s resignation takes effect Friday, the top cop role will be filled by former FBI official Tom Donlon on an interim basis, Adams said.

“The news around recent developments has created a distraction for our department, and 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,” Caban said in an internal email sent to members of service, and obtained by The Post.

“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,” he wrote.

“Thank you for the trust you have placed in me, and for the opportunity you have given me to serve alongside the members of this great department. I feel strongly that we have the best police force in the world, and have complete faith in the leaders across the NYPD.”

Eric Adams taps ex-FBI official Tom Donlon as interim police commissioner after Caban resignation

Caban, an NYPD vet of more than 30 years, will leave the top job more than a year after he was handpicked by Mayor Eric Adams.

The police leader quickly faced calls for his resignation from local politicians after federal agents targeted him other top police officials and aides of Adams in a series of raids Sept. 4, law enforcement sources previously said.

It’s not clear exactly what the federal agents were looking for, but sources said the probe centers around sweeping corruption and influence peddling.

Caban, whose electronic devices were seized in the raid, has not been charged or accused of wrongdoing.

Over the weekend, the outgoing PC met with the mayor to discuss how the administration would move forward with the fed probe, which would force the FBI to withhold information from Caban, according to sources.

The mayor had said Caban needed to step down, but for days the PC was pushing back.

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“My complete focus must be on the NYPD — the Department I profoundly honor and have dedicated my career to serving. However, the noise around recent developments has made that impossible and has hindered the important work our city requires,” Caban said in a statement to The Post.

“I have therefore decided it is in the best interest of the Department that I resign as Commissioner. After 30 years of service to this city, I hold immense respect and gratitude for its brave officers, and must put their interests before my own,” he continued. “I believe firmly in the vital role of leaders with integrity, who, by example, demonstrate the difference between right and wrong every day. I will continue to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation.”

Adams, in a video address announcing Donlon’s appointment, also acknowledged the cloud that Caban cast over the NYPD after the raids.

“He concluded that this is the best decision at this time, I respect his decision, and I wish him well,” Adams said.

Rumblings of Caban’s imminent departure, whether by resignation or termination, reached a fever pitch in the days after the feds exited his Rockland County home.

But the mayor shot down the resignation rumors as recently as Tuesday, albeit by largely denying there has been pressure from City Hall for Caban’s ouster.

Caban was appointed to the top job in July 2023 after serving as the NYPD’s first deputy commissioner since 2022. He initially began his career as a cop in 1991, patrolling the streets of the South Bronx.

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Caban made history as the city’s first Hispanic police commissioner, but often kept out of the spotlight during his tenure in favor of letting brash subordinates such as Chief of Patrol John Chell grab attention and seemingly steer the department.

Police sources said Caban’s twin brother, James Caban, is being eyed by the feds for his alleged work as a “fixer” for ritzy Manhattan restaurants and nightclubs as part of his “consulting” work.

James Caban, an ex-cop who has also not been accused of wrongdoing, left the NYPD in January 2001 following a slew of complaints and allegations, online records show.

NYPD Chief of Staff Raul Pintos and two precinct commanders in Manhattan and Queens have also been asked to turn over their phones in an investigation sources say travels all the way down to rank-and-file street cops.

Among those also ensnared by the federal dragnet were Adams adviser Timothy Pearson, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, Schools Chancellor David Banks and their brother Terence Banks and First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, sources have said.

The raids and probes rattled police brass, who took to meeting in parking lots away from the feds’ presumed prying eyes and ears, according to the sources.

The commissioner himself retreated further from public view after feds seized his electronic devices, even opting to no-show the annual 9/11 memorial ceremony this week — an unheard-of move for the city’s top cop.

“Commissioner Caban is an accomplished public servant who has dedicated his life to the safety and security of the people of this great city and maintains unwavering respect for the women and men of the New York City Police Department,” said Caban’s attorneys, Russell Capone and Rebekah Donaleski, partners at the Cooley LLP law firm.

“We have been informed by the government that he is not a target of any investigation being conducted by the Southern District of New York, and he expects to cooperate fully with the government.”

Additional reporting by David Propper

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