Edward Caban Becomes New York’s First Latino Police Commissioner
Edward Caban Becomes New York’s First Latino Police Commissioner
Edward Caban, who was born in the Bronx to a Puerto Rican father who worked as a transit police detective, made history on Monday when he became the first Latino officer in the 177-year history of the New York Police Department to become the department’s commissioner.
The appointment of Commissioner Caban, who has been serving as interim commissioner, was announced by Mayor Eric Adams during a morning news conference held in front of the 40th Precinct in the South Bronx. This is the same precinct in which Commissioner Caban began his career as a police officer in 1991.
The decision was made only a little over a month after Commissioner Keechant Sewell, the first woman to serve in the job, became frustrated in her attempts to act with autonomy and resigned after only 18 months of service, according to sources who are familiar with her experiences in the role. Commissioner Keechant Sewell was the first person to serve in the role.
Throughout Ms Sewell‘s term as mayor, Commissioner Caban,
who had previously held the position of first deputy commissioner, had maintained a strong relationship with the mayor. Approximately 36,000 law enforcement personnel and 19,000 civilian staff will report to him.
Mr. Adams told the throng of police officers and municipal leaders who were chanting “Eddie, Eddie, Eddie” that “This is an amazing moment not only for the Spanish-speaking community — this is an amazing moment for the entire city and country,” Adams said. “This is an amazing moment not only for the Spanish-speaking community.”
Commissioner Caban, whose climb from the precinct to headquarters was interrupted by run-ins with departmental monitoring organisations, is taking over the nation’s largest police department at a crucial point in the organization’s history.
The department has seen an improvement in morale as a result of successful contract negotiations with the city; but, union leaders claim that the department is still losing members to early retirement or to other agencies as a result of officers feeling overworked or demoralised as a result of protests criticising the violence of police officers.
Even though the number of shootings in New York City has decreased by approximately 25 percent through the first half of this year compared to the same period last year, many people in New York and the surrounding suburbs say they are still worried they will become victims of crime on the street or in the subway.
At the same time, a number of New York officials believe that the police department is placing an excessive amount of emphasis on the use of harsh measures in its fight against crime.
On Monday, while speaking to scores of people who were standing in the scorching heat outside the precinct on Alexander Avenue, Mr. Adams thanked Commissioner Caban for assisting his predecessor in presiding over the department during a decline in shootings and homicides, a decrease that mirrored a pattern that was seen nationally.
Ms. Sewell was another recipient of praise from Mr. Adams,
who stated that Commissioner Caban had “a tough act to follow.”
“We knew we had to get it right,” said Mr. Adams, who was speaking for the group. “We were aware that we needed to select the most qualified candidate.”
As his son portrayed him as a guide who, along with his mother, raised five kids, Commissioner Caban stood next to his father, Juan, who was crying as he listened to his son describe him.
“I am humbled to be on your team,” Commissioner Caban told the mayor when they introduced themselves. “To have your trust and support, and to be given the opportunity to head the most important department in the entire world.”
Tania Kinsella, a seasoned officer in the office of the chief of patrol, will succeed Commissioner Caban in the role of first Deputy Commissioner, according to the mayor, who also announced this news.
Mr. Adams emphasised the “historic” aspect of the selection of Commissioner Caban and lauded him for his “discipline, his attitude,” as well as his reputation among a “diversity of people who constantly told me what he meant to them.”
The Reverend Oswald Denis of the nearby Rehoboth Christian Church was present, and he recalled how Commissioner Caban engaged in community events with his church while he was the commanding officer of the 40th Precinct. Denis was one of the attendees at the event.
“We are very happy that we have a Puerto Rican, someone from the hood,”
he stated. “We are very happy that we have a Puerto Rican.” “He is fluent in our language, our slang, and is familiar with how things work in the hood. And I have no doubt that the rate of crime will continue to drop with Eddie Caban serving as commissioner.
The mayor and Commissioner Caban have a history of having a good relationship. As a result of Mr Adams’s advocacy, Commissioner Caban was promoted to the position of Deputy Commissioner in 2022, skipping over the department’s chief ranks in the process.
In that capacity, Commissioner Caban, along with Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, who is also a close associate of Mr. Adams, frequently called the mayor directly about department business, therefore sidestepping Ms. Sewell, according to numerous individuals who are familiar with the connections between the parties.
It became apparent very early on in Ms. Sewell’s term that she would have a great deal less freedom than previous commissioners did when it came to making promotions and appointing her own team. Mr. Adams personally recommended Commissioner Caban and Chief Maddrey for the positions of second and third in the department’s hierarchy, respectively.
Kenneth Corey, who served as her chief of department until she resigned,
has stated that in the weeks leading up to her announcement, she was required to handle promotions that were left up to the judgement of City Hall.
This lack of authority was a factor that went into her decision to quit the department, where she had established solid relationships with the city’s police unions and won the favour of many of the rank-and-file officers.
In public statements, Commissioner Caban made an effort to portray himself as having a cordial relationship with his immediate predecessor. He tweeted a photo of the two of them laughing outside Gracie Mansion, where they had gone for a Juneteenth celebration, on the 16th of June, three days after Ms. Sewell revealed that she was departing.
