Disgraced ex-NYPD commish was ‘a puppet,’ Eric Adams admin involved in ‘low-rent corruption’: former NYPD chief

Caban, a veteran New York cop since 1991, was first promoted to the top job in July 2023. He is one of many close to Mayor Eric Adams currently under federal investigation, including Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks and his brother David Banks, the city’s chancellor of schools.

“He (Caban) was there to be a puppet,” a former NYPD chief told The Post Millennial. “He was an inspector on the borough staff. That’s nothing. He was in a support role. And to give him that kind of job (police commissioner), it was ridiculous. It was unfair to Ed, too, by the way.”

The former NYPD chief also said “Banks is a fraud man, who’s had problems before. This mayor brought him back,” adding that Adams, “took a big risk in doing so.”

The source described Mayor Adams, himself a one-time police officer, as “fast and loose with what he does, his operational tactics.” They added that the mayor’s administration is involved in “low-rent corruption, like back from the old days. Skimming, taking money, shaking down people.”

Adams' campaign has been under investigation for alleged illegal campaign fundraising connections with Turkey. It is unclear if these most recent device confiscations are also related to the Turkish government, or some other nation’s government. The source believes Adams may be benefiting from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Reports of attempted extortion for police protection have also surfaced regarding Caban's brother, and top legal counsel for Adams has also since resigned.

Adams publicly hosted the mayor of Shanghai, Gong Zheng, at City Hall in May. The New York Post reported last week that one of Caban’s top aides, Lin Gui’an, was directly linked to the CCP through a nonprofit group.

Last week, Linda Sun, a former deputy chief of staff to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, was charged with acting as a foreign agent for the Chinese Communist Party.

Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams are close allies.

Tom Donlon, former director of the Office of Homeland Security, has been brought in as interim police commissioner. Adams announced the appointment in a social media post Thursday to his office’s official X account.

Regarding Donlon, Adams said on X, “He is an experienced law enforcement professional who has worked at local, state, federal, and international levels to keep us safe.”

Adams isn’t believed to be the one who actually made the decision to hire Donlon. “The feds, in their investigation, wanted someone who could stop this nonsense in its tracks,” says the former NYPD chief. “Tom Donlon can do it. He’s not NYPD, but he’s a New York guy. So that helps a little. Donlon is a winner.”

The source also said that former commissioner Keechant Sewell, who resigned last year, “wasn’t even in charge of promotions, which is a priority job for them.” The source added that Sewell “had class” and “didn’t badmouth anyone” as she was leaving the job.

According to the National Police Association, “she (Sewell) apparently wanted to promote based on her criteria, which appear to be merit-based. For example, promoting a patrol officer to detective or detectives to higher grades for stellar performance. Typically, department promotions are within the commissioner’s purview.”

The retired police chief wants to see a return to a merit-based promotion system, such as Sewell intended. “We were once a meritocracy. We went through a disastrous mayoral tenure through de Blasio that’s changed the fabric of how we police.”

Eric Adams faces an uphill battle in his re-election bid next year. The city comptroller, Brad Lander, and New York state senator Jessica Ramos, have both declared their candidacies. Former governor Andrew Cuomo is also rumored to be considering a run.