Latino Lawman: NYPD gets its first Hispanic commissioner

New York City made history Monday morning as Mayor Eric Adams placed Acting Police Commissioner Edward Caban in charge of the NYPD, a historic benchmark that appoints the city’s first Hispanic top cop, according to local reports.

The NYC Mayor named Caban as the NYPD’s Commissioner Monday morning at the 40th Precinct in the Bronx, where the Latino cop began his three decade career with the force.

Caban was named acting commissioner of the department July 1 the former commissioner, Keechant Sewell, suddenly resigned in June.

“Commissioner Caban is a consummate professional with over three decades of service in the NYPD,” Adams said at the time. “I know the hard-working men and women of our city’s police department have a strong leader in place until a more formal announcement is made in the coming weeks.”

Caban was previously second in command to Sewell as the NYPD’s first deputy commissioner. He was promoted to the second in command position by Adams, another former commissioner of the nation’s largest police force.

Caban recently led the force in personnel management, policy development, in-service and recruit and training and the discipline system, according to the police department.

The Hispanic officer was brought up in the Bronx and joined the force more than three decades ago in 1991 when he joined the 40th Precinct. He rose quickly in the NYPD ranks, and in 1994 scored a promotion to Sergeant. After several supervisory roles in the Bronx and northern Manhattan, the Latino cop was promoted to Lieutenant in 1999.

In 2005, Caban entered the executive ranks with a promotion to Captain. He served as the Executive Officer of the 23rd Precinct in East Harlem before he was selected to lead the 25 Precinct as its Commanding Officer in 2006.

He was then promoted to Deputy Inspector in 2008 and oversaw many public-safety programs. By 2015, he was promoted to Inspector.

“In 2022, Caban became the NYPD’s First Deputy Commissioner, leading a broad range of agency functions according to the strategic vision of the Police Commissioner, including: policy development, personnel management, recruit and in-service training, and overall supervision of the department’s discipline system,” the NYPD reports on its website.

Still, Caban’s career has not gone without its bumps in the roads.

Thirty years ago, his quick promotions raised suspicion among his fellow officers, and he was even accused of cheating on his sergeant’s exam as part of a scandal that involved more than two dozen other officers aiming for the same rank, according to police files obtained by The New York Post last year. 

Fortunately, the Latino superstar cop was eventually found not guilty and proved he was the real deal as he rose through the NYPD’s ranks.

Public service runs in Caban’s family. His father, Juan, was also a law enforcement officer. A former NYC Transit Police Detective, Caban’s father was also the President of the Transit Police Hispanic Society.

Caban is a strong family man, married to Leidy Caban with two children, Ava and Edward. Monday’s event is expected to have several Hispanic lawmakers and fellow NYPD officers.

Soon to be Commissioner Caban holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from St. John’s University.