Edward Caban, a Bronx native of Puerto Rican origin with more than 30 years with the New York Police Department, took over as commissioner Monday, the first Latino to lead the nation’s largest police department.
“Commissioner Caban has not only risen through the ranks, serving in nearly every role within the police department, but policing is in his blood as he follows in the footsteps of his father, another NYPD veteran.” Said Mayor Eric Adams, a former officer himself, said after taking the oath in front of the Bronx police station, where Caban began his career.
Caban’s father, a retired NYPD transit police officer, served alongside Adams. Three of Caban’s brothers have also joined the NYPD..
After being sworn in, Caban said, “I’m honored” to lead the 33,000-member department.
“His story is a living legacy of courage, bravery and sacrifice, from ordinary New Yorkers who did extraordinary things,” he said. “To be the first Hispanic police commissioner is an honor of the highest order.”
caban is successful Keechant Sewellthe first black woman to lead the NYPD, who resigned as commissioner last month.
Caban, 55, joined the NYPD as a patrol officer in 1991 and was promoted to sergeant in 1994.
He worked in various city precincts while rising through the ranks to lieutenant, captain, executive officer, commanding officer, deputy inspector, inspector, and first deputy commissioner.
The NYPD is more diverse compared to the mostly white, male force he joined 32 years ago.
According to the department, 31% of those in uniform are Hispanic or Latino. Latinos make up 29% of the city’s population, according to the Census Bureau.
About 11% of the department’s officers are Asian and about 16% are black, compared to a city population that is about 14% Asian and 24% black.
In a move that tries to reflect that diversity, Adams named the veteran officer Tanya Kinsella as First Deputy Commissioner.
Kinsella, of Jamaican and Guyanese descent, is the first woman of color to hold that position.
She joined the department in 2003, patrolling the streets of her home district of Staten Island and rising through the ranks there to become the commanding officer of the 120th Precinct.
“Commissioner Caban and First Deputy Commissioner Kinsella are the best of the NYPD,” Adams said. “They really understand the importance of both safety and justice, and I look forward to continuing to work with them to help keep our city safe.”
Associated Press contributed.
