NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban faces calls for firing after federal authorities shockingly raid his home

Local politicians called for the resignation of Police Chief Edward Caban on Friday after federal authorities conducted a shocking raid on his home earlier this week.

But Mayor Eric Adams appears to be sticking with his hand-picked top cop, at least for now, and, as the Washington Post learned, has hired a prominent lawyer to represent the administration, including Caban, in any legal problems that appear to be brewing.

Attorney Alex Spiro of the Los Angeles-based law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan was once described by the New Yorker as the man who “puts the rich and famous above the law” and has a long list of flashy clients that includes Elon Musk, Jay-Z, Megan Thee Stallion and Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots.

It is still unclear what charges Spiro will fight – despite federal raids on the homes of Caban and other high-ranking Adams administration officials, no one has yet been charged or convicted of a crime.

But some Democratic politicians called for heads to roll – Caban in particular. They stressed that the investigation, which sources say involves widespread corruption and influence-peddling, paints a bad picture for the city of New York.

“The very appearance of impropriety casts a dark shadow on the integrity of our police department,” Democrat and Queens City Councilman Bob Holden told the Post on Friday.

“The magnitude of this problem is too great and is causing too many distractions. For the good of the department and the city, the police chief should resign.”

City Councilman Lincoln Restler agreed, saying in a post on X that Caban “has to go.”

“I'm not used to writing this kind of thing – but the New York Post editorial board got it right,” the Brooklyn Democrat wrote, referring to the Post's editorial on Thursday calling on the mayor to ask the longtime police officer to resign.

“Police Commissioner Edward Caban must go,” he continued.

“The NYPD works with the FBI all day long to keep New Yorkers safe, and their chief cannot do his job if he is in the FBI's crosshairs.”

Ken Frydman, a Democratic activist and CEO of Source Communications, echoed those comments on Friday.

“He should fall on his sword,” Frydman said of Caban.

“It's much more than a distraction. A yellow fly is a distraction. It's a paralyzing agent. It poisons the entire workforce.”

“This shit is going downhill,” he continued. “I'm sure a lot of people are updating their resumes today… We knew things were happening, but we didn't know to what extent.”

Federal authorities searched Caban and other members of the country's largest police force, as well as several people in Adams' inner circle, earlier this week as part of a series of raids that have rocked the Big Apple's political world.

In addition to Caban, federal agents also knocked on the door of Phil Banks, the deputy mayor for public safety, and at a townhouse shared by schools Chancellor David Banks and First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, law enforcement sources said.

Authorities seized their electronic devices – just as the phones of another high-ranking Adams aide, retired NYPD Inspector Timothy Pearson, were subpoenaed, sources added.

A search warrant and subpoena were also issued against Caban's twin brother, former NYPD Sergeant James Caban, according to sources.

And NYPD Chief of Staff Raul Pintos and two precinct chiefs in Manhattan and Queens were ordered to turn over their phones as part of an investigation that sources say extends all the way down to the rank-and-file patrol officers.

The connection between the raids, subpoenas and law enforcement searches remained unclear Friday. Federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York — who are also eyeing Adams' 2021 campaign in an unrelated investigation — are leading the charge, sources said.

But it may not be so easy to cut off the rotting branch to save the government, a source said about the commissioner.

“He can't leave – he's stuck,” the source said. “If he leaves, he will cause unimaginable harm to Adams. If he leaves, it would be an admission of guilt.”

Others say it doesn't matter. One Democratic intelligence official, for example, said the raids were absolutely “tectonic.”

“Caban has to go,” the agent said. “He spends hours every week coordinating with the FBI, now it's child's play.”

“I can’t imagine he can hold out.”

City Hall and the NYPD did not immediately respond to requests for comment.