Dems not ready to condemn NYPD commissioner amid FBI investigation

Although the New York Post has said it’s time for New York City Police Commissioner Edward Caban to step down, some top Democrats in the city and state are waiting to pass judgment until more information comes out about the federal investigation into top NYPD brass.

City Council Members Bob Holden and Lincoln Restler quickly suggested that Caban should resign after federal investigators raided his home last week and confiscated other police officials’ electronics, but the likes of Rep. Jerry Nadler said it is too soon for anyone to step down. “I wouldn't say the police commissioner should step down now,” Nadler told reporters after speaking at a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in Manhattan on Sunday. “I mean, maybe it's a matter of appearance, but I'm very reluctant to say people should step down from offices. Not even an accusation, but just an investigation.” Nadler declined to comment when asked whether he believed New York City Mayor Adams had made good choices when picking his top aides.

Federal investigators with the Southern District of New York, as well as the IRS, are reportedly looking into potential influence peddling by James Caban, the police commissioner’s twin brother, who may have promised nightclubs special treatment by police and top public safety officials. In addition to the Caban brothers, federal investigators also seized electronic devices and searched the residences of top aides to Adams like Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, Schools Chancellor David Banks and First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. 

Council Member Yusef Salaam, chair of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee, pointed to his own history as a reason for withholding a rush to judgment. Salaam is a member of the Exonerated Five, who were falsely imprisoned for a high-profile rape in Central Park in 1989. “When people rush to judge us, a lot of mistakes (can) happen,” Salaam told reporters after the Manhattan rally. “You don’t want that same thing to happen to anyone on any level of government.” He said he didn’t “have enough information” on the situation to opine on whether Caban should resign. 

After attending a separate Harris rally in the Bronx on Sunday, Gov. Kathy Hochul expressed “strong confidence in the NYPD to function” amid the federal investigation but did not directly say whether or not Caban should step aside as commissioner. “I feel very confident that the system will go on, and that’s a decision that is not up to me,” she said of Caban. 

During an unrelated press conference on Long Island on Friday, Hochul offered a few comments on Adams as well. “I also represent the people of New York City, and it is in their interest to continue working with the mayor on fighting crime… So we’ll continue to be partners going forward because that’s what we’re both elected to do,” Hochul told reporters, adding it’s “not my job to speculate.”

State Sen. Jamaal Bailey, chair of the Bronx Democratic Party and host of the Harris rally in his borough, echoed Hochul’s confidence in rank-and-file police officers while declining to call for Caban’s ouster. “I haven't seen information other than what's in the news, I haven't read anything specific,” Bailey told City & State. “It's difficult for me to comment on things unless we see the full breadth of stuff.”