“For the good of this city”

New York Police Commissioner Edward Caban has resigned from his post a week after federal authorities investigated the top cop in a corruption investigation that included suspicions of influence peddling, The Post has learned.

Caban submitted a letter of resignation on Thursday, which Mayor Eric Adams confirmed he had accepted.

Once Caban’s resignation becomes effective Friday, former FBI official Tom Donlon will take over as top cop on an interim basis, Adams said.

“News of recent events has distracted our department and I do not want my attention to be focused on anything other than our important work or the safety of the men and women of the NYPD,” Caban said in an internal email to service members obtained by The Post.

“I have tremendous respect and gratitude for the brave officers who serve this department, and the NYPD deserves someone who can focus solely on protecting and serving the City of New York, 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.

“Thank you for the trust you have placed in me and the opportunity you have given me to serve alongside the members of this great department. I truly believe we have the best police department in the world, and I have complete confidence in the leadership throughout the NYPD.”

Caban, a 30-year veteran of the New York Police Department, will be leaving the top job more than a year after being handpicked by Mayor Eric Adams.

The police chief quickly faced calls for his resignation from local politicians after federal agents targeted other senior police officers and Adams associates in a series of raids on Sept. 4, law enforcement sources have said previously.

It is unclear what exactly federal agents were looking for, but sources say the investigation involves widespread corruption and influence peddling.

Caban, whose electronic devices were confiscated during the raid, has not been charged or charged with a crime.

According to sources, the outgoing conservative met with the mayor over the weekend to discuss how the administration intends to handle the federal investigation that would force the FBI to withhold information from Caban.

The mayor said Caban should resign, but for days the Conservative Party resisted.

“I need to give my full focus to the NYPD, a department I deeply respect and have dedicated my career to. However, the noise surrounding recent events has made that impossible and has hindered the important work our city requires,” Caban said in a statement to The Post.

“Therefore, I have decided that it would be in the best interests of the Department for me to resign as Commissioner. After 30 years of service to this city, I have the utmost respect and gratitude for its courageous officers and I must put their interests above my own,” he continued. “I believe deeply in the critical role of leaders with integrity who lead by example and show the difference between right and wrong every day. I will continue to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation.”

Adams, in a video address announcing Donlon’s nomination, also acknowledged that Caban threw shade at the New York Police Department following the raids.

“He has come to the conclusion that this is the best decision at this time, and I respect his decision and wish him well,” Adams said.

Rumors of Caban’s imminent departure, either through resignation or firing, reached a fever pitch in the days after federal officers vacated his Rockland County home.

However, the mayor on Tuesday denied the rumours about his resignation, denying that city authorities had exerted any pressure to remove Caban.

Caban was appointed to the position in July 2023 after serving as First Deputy Commissioner of the New York Police Department since 2022. He began his career as a police officer in 1991 patrolling the streets of the South Bronx.

Caban made history as the city’s first Latino police commissioner, but he often shied away from the limelight during his tenure, letting brash underlings like Patrol Chief John Chell steal the spotlight and run the department.

Police sources said Caban’s twin brother, James Caban, is under surveillance by the feds for his alleged work as a “middleman” for luxury restaurants and nightclubs in Manhattan as part of his “consulting work.”

James Caban, a former police officer who also has not been charged with any crime, left the NYPD in January 2001 after a series of complaints and accusations, online records show.

New York Police Chief Raul Pintos and two police chiefs in Manhattan and Queens have also been asked to surrender their phones as part of the investigation, and the sources said the probe also extends to rank-and-file officers patrolling the streets.

Other victims of the federal scam include Adams’ aide Timothy Pearson, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, Schools Chancellor David Banks and their brother Terence Banks, and First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, sources said.

The raids and investigations have unsettled police executives, who have been meeting in parking lots, away from the prying eyes and ears of federal agents, sources said.

The commissioner himself has retreated even further from public life after federal officers seized his electronic devices, even opting not to attend the city’s annual 9/11 commemoration ceremony this week—an unusual move for a city police chief.

“Commissioner Caban is a seasoned public servant who has dedicated his life to the safety of the citizens of this great city and has an unwavering respect for the women and men of the New York Police Department,” said Caban’s attorneys, Russell Capone and Rebekah Donaleski, partners at Cooley LLP.

“The government has informed us that he is not the target of any investigation by the Southern District of New York and expects his full cooperation with the government.”

Additional information: David Propper