Eric Adams Names Edward Caban as NYPD Commissioner

New York Mayor Eric Adams appointed Edward A. Caban as the city’s next police commissioner, who will try to help the mayor deliver on one of his biggest priorities: improving public safety in the nation’s largest city.

Moments after accepting the golden shield that marks him as the new leader of the New York City Police Department, Caban, the city’s first Latino commissioner, stood at the lectern outside the Bronx precinct where his NYPD career began and reflected on his rise through the ranks over three decades.

Caban has been with the department since 1991, when he was a young Puerto Rican officer from Parkchester assigned to patrol the South Bronx.

“In those days, the top bosses of the police department didn’t really look like me,” Caban recalled of his early years with the department. “Police Officer Eddie Caban could not walk into the 4-0 Precinct, look up at the leadership photos hanging on the wall and envision his future.”

Caban on Monday credited his father, who was a New York City transit detective, for encouraging him to take the exam needed to become a police officer.

“He told me, ‘Take the test, son. Promotions will earn you a seat at the table,’” Caban said Monday, with his father and mother standing on either side of him at the lectern. “I’m blessed that my dad is still with us and can see the impact of his guidance come full circle.”

Caban succeeds Keechant Sewell, the first woman to lead the NYPD, who resigned after 18 months in the post. Adams had designated Caban as acting police commissioner following Sewell’s departure. Sewell grappled with being micromanaged by Adams, according to local news reports.

Adams, a former NYPD captain, ran for mayor in 2021 pledging to improve public safety after a crime surge that started during the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of reported murders in New York City last year dropped roughly 11% from 2021, authorities said in January, but the nation’s largest city still recorded an overall increase in major crimes.

Adams said Caban has been instrumental in the department’s efforts to reduce crime in the city over the last 18 months. 

“He’s the right choice for right now,” Adams said.

In naming Caban as the city’s top cop, Adams noted Caban’s discipline, attitude and “the diversity of the people who constantly told me what he meant to them.” 

Caban previously served as the department’s first deputy commissioner, a role he took on in 2022. He first joined the executive ranks of the department in 2005, when he was promoted to captain.

The Police Benevolent Association said it looked forward to working with Caban to address staffing issues and improve quality-of-life for officers.

“We know he knows what New York City police officers are going through right now, and that strong leadership is needed to reverse the current staffing crisis,” the association said in a statement. “There is no time to waste.”

On Monday, Adams also named Tania Kinsella to succeed Caban as the department’s first deputy commissioner. Kinsella, who has been with the department since 2003, previously served as deputy chief of the patrol services bureau.

Write to Erin Ailworth at [email protected]