Police Commissioner Edward Caban is “facing tremendous pressure” to resign, according to political sources who said they don’t see how the top cop can stay in the post following federal agents’ stunning raid on his home.
Calls have been growing for Caban’s ouster in the aftermath of the raids last week targeting NYPD officials and top aides to Mayor Eric Adams, with some questioning how the commissioner can do his job — which involves working with the feds — if he is being investigated by them.
“It’s not a matter of if, but when,” one political insider said, when asked if Caban could be packing his bags.
Sources also said that Caban — at least so far — has not agreed to step down. That means the decision may ultimately fall to Adams, a former NYPD captain himself who has held fast in his support for his vulnerable chief.
Asked about rumors of Caban’s imminent resignation on Monday, Adams gave a cryptic answer.
“I don’t think anything in life is guaranteed,” Hizzoner said after being asked at an unrelated press conference if he could guarantee Caban would still be the commissioner in two months.
“I will say this: When I chose Eddie, I chose him for his experience and what he brought after 30-something years of service,” the mayor continued.
“And so, you know, rumors are always out there. You can never keep up with the rumors that you hear,” he added. “There was nothing that came from me that fit those rumors at all.”
A source with knowledge of conversations in City Hall said “there is tremendous pressure for him to resign,” referring to the top cop.
Sources said Caban was in Florida to celebrate his birthday with family over the weekend, but came back to the city Monday morning and was at work as usual at One Police Plaza, where he gave prepared remarks at a security briefing on the High Holidays in the afternoon.
Hizzoner spoke with Caban over the weekend, but it’s not clear if Adams came to a decision about the commish’s future, sources said.
The already chaotic week was capped off by Adams testing positive for COVID Monday. Insiders say even if Caban agrees to step down, the news wouldn’t come out until the mayor was able to leave isolation in Gracie Mansion.
The walls have quickly closed in on Caban — the mayor’s handpicked successor to former commissioner Keechant Sewell, who resigned last summer — since the feds pounded on his door last week, waving warrants and demanding his electronic devices.
Authorities have said very little about why they raided Caban’s home — or those belonging to several of Adams’ other top allies.
But law enforcement sources have said the investigation centers around sweeping corruption and influence peddling.
Caban’s twin brother, a former NYPD officer with a shady past, is also being probed by the feds for allegedly working as a “fixer” for troubled nightlife hotspots in Manhattan that were running into problems with the cops.
Last Friday, Adams made clear his intention to back the NYPD commissioner, despite his recent troubles.
“Commissioner Caban can continue to do his job,” Adams told PIX 11 during a sit-down interview Friday, adding that the commish has “driven down crime” to its lowest level in 14 years.
But some have questioned how Caban can oversee the NYPD — and talk regularly to its partners in the FBI — when he’s being targeted by the federal agency.
“His working relationship with the feds is untenable while he’s being investigated by them,” one source said.
Adams on Monday repeated his “stay focused, no distractions and grind” mantra.
“There’s no joy in waking up and seeing any negative comments made about you, in writing or anywhere,” Adams said Monday.
“So there’s no joy. But we have a job to do,” he continued. “And the name of the game — I say over and over again — is stay focused, no distractions and grind.”
— Additional reporting by Larry Celona
