Federal officials have searched the homes of New York City’s newly named interim police commissioner and took materials from 20 years ago that were unrelated to his police work, according to a statement from the interim commissioner, about a week after the resignation of former New York City Police Commissioner Edward Caban.
“On Friday, September 20, federal authorities executed search warrants at my residences. They took materials that came into my possession approximately 20 years ago and are unrelated to my work with the New York City Police Department,” his statement said. “This is not a department matter, and the department will not be commenting.”
Donlon did not say which federal agency targeted him and did not indicate what the investigation was specifically about. The Epoch Times contacted the FBI and NYPD’s press information officer for comment on Sept. 22.
Previously, Donlon was in charge of the FBI’s National Threat Center and also had worked as the director of New York’s Office of Homeland Security.
“As we have repeatedly said, we expect all team members to fully comply with any law enforcement inquiry,” City Hall spokesperson Fabien Levy told reporters on Sept. 21.
Caban resigned on Sept. 12 after federal authorities seized his electronic devices as part of an investigation that also involved his brother, a former police officer.
Caban, who had served as the NYPD commissioner for about 13 months, said in a statement at the time that “recent developments has created a distraction for our department” and that he is “unwilling to let my attention be on anything other than our important work, or the safety of the men and women of the NYPD.”
Responding to Caban’s resignation, New York Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference earlier in September that he accepted Caban’s decision and noted it was “the best decision at this time.”
“I respect his decision and I wish him well,” the mayor said. The mayor said he was naming Donlon to head the department to make sure that “crime keeps going down in our city” because Donlon “is an experienced law enforcement professional who has worked at the local, state, federal, and international levels.”
When he accepted the interim position earlier this month, Donlon said he was “honored and humbled” to head the NYPD, the “greatest law enforcement agency in the world.”
“My goals are clear: continue the historic progress decreasing crime and removing illegal guns from our communities, uphold the highest standards of integrity and transparency, and support our dedicated officers who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe,” Donlon said in a statement to multiple local news outlets.
Meanwhile, the unexplained and unexpected search occurred amid other federal law enforcement investigations connected to the Adams administration.
Federal agents also have seized phones in recent weeks from the head of the city’s public schools, a top deputy mayor, Adams’s top public safety adviser, and others. Previously, investigators searched homes connected to Adams’s top campaign fundraiser and the Democrat’s Asian affairs director.
In autumn 2023, federal agents also seized Adams’s phone as he left an event. Charges have not been brought in connection with any of those searches, and it was unclear whether there was any connection to the search involving Donlon, who wasn’t part of the Adams administration until recently.
