Police Commissioner Edward Caban has resigned after being asked to step down following the seizure of his phone by federal agents. The phone was taken as part of a broader criminal investigation, one of several probes involving individuals within Mayor Eric Adams’s administration.

Insight Media 

New York City's Police Commissioner, Edward Caban, stepped down on Thursday amidst ongoing federal corruption investigations targeting Mayor Eric Adams and his top aides. Caban, the first Latino to lead the NYPD, was reportedly asked to resign earlier in the week. 

In an email to the department, Caban explained that recent developments had become a distraction, stating, "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." He expressed deep respect for the officers and noted that the NYPD deserves a leader fully focused on the job, which led him to make the difficult decision to resign.

Mayor Adams appointed Tom Donlon, a retired FBI veteran, as the interim police commissioner. Donlon, who previously led New York State's homeland security office and the FBI's National Threat Center, will take over while the investigations continue.

The resignation comes after federal investigators seized Caban's mobile phones in connection with an investigation into alleged protection of local nightclubs from enforcement actions. Lower-level police commanders and supervisors were also implicated. Wilbur Chapman, a former deputy police commissioner, noted that this is the first time a police commissioner has resigned over a corruption probe since the 1970s. He emphasized the challenge now facing the department in regaining public confidence.