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New York's police commissioner resigns amid corruption probe

September 12, 2024
DD

New York City Mayor Eric Adams revealed a week ago that New York Police Commissioner Edward Caban had resigned, following revelations that federal agents had searched his residence and confiscated his phone.

The first Latino police commissioner of the city, Mr. Caban, has been implicated in several criminal investigations of the city government by the federal government.

Mr Caban's resignation left Adams to appoint a new leader of the world's largest police force for a third time in three years.

He tapped Tom Donlon, who ran the FBI's National Threat Center and helped lead the agency's investigation into the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center buildings in New York City.

During a brief news conference on Thursday afternoon, Adams praised Mr Caban's tenure as the head of the NYPD, noting that there was "a drop in crime for 13 of the 14 months he served as commissioner".

He then thanked Mr Donlon, a native of the Bronx, "for stepping in during this critical moment".

He noted that Mr Donlon also helped probe the attacks on US embassies in Africa and the USS Cole in Yemen by al Qaeda.

In a statement, Mr Donlon said he was honoured and humbled to become the interim commissioner.

Along with working to combat crime and illegal guns, he said he would seek to "uphold the highest standards of integrity and transparency, and support our dedicated officers who put their lives on the line every day".

Mr Caban first announced his intention to resign in a letter - obtained by BBC's US partner CBS News - that was sent to members of the NYPD on Thursday morning.

"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.

Mr Caban had led the NYPD since 2023. He was considered a close ally of Mayor Adams.

He wrote in his letter that the raid on his home and the accompanying investigation had "created a distraction for our department", however.

Other top New York officials appointed by the mayor - who has faced a corruption probe that appears to be unrelated to this case - also saw their homes raided last week.

They included First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III and Chancellor of New York City Public Schools David C Banks.

US attorneys seized their phones, along with the phone of Mr Caban's twin brother, as part of their ongoing investigations.

There is no indication whether Mr Caban or other city officials have been involved in wrongdoing, or are the subjects of the investigations.

"As a former member of law enforcement, the mayor has repeatedly made clear that all members of the team need to follow the law," City Hall Chief Legal Counsel Lisa Zornberg said in an earlier statement to the BBC about the raids.

Since being sworn in on the first day of 2022, Adams and his colleagues have been put under increasing federal scrutiny.

The FBI raided the home of his chief fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, and other members of his campaign last year as part of a probe believed to be focused on whether he received illegal campaign contributions from the Turkish government and other foreign sources.
A source familiar with the matter said last week's searches did not seem to be related to the Turkey investigation.