Fed probe involving NYPD commish creates ‘security issues’ for NYC, ex-front-runner for job warns: ‘Uncharted territory’
The federal probe involving NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban has created “real security issues” for the Big Apple, according to a former front-runner for the top cop’s spot.
Carmen Best — the ex-head of the Seattle Police Department who was once eyed by New York City Mayor Eric Adams for Caban’s job — told The Post in an exclusive sit-down Monday that any active federal investigation involving such a high-ranking person in law enforcement would lead to limited information-sharing between agencies, if not a full blackout.
“This is uncharted territory,” Best said — less than a week after Caban’s home and those of his twin brother and some of Adams’ allies were raided by the feds in a possible corruption investigation.
The probe and ensuing information-sharing issues “would definitely impact [Caban’s job overseeing city security] because you need to know what cases are going on that involve the city and your personnel,” she said.
“There are real security issues — the FBI has to be able to work together with local police for the safety of the city,” Best said.
“The ability to do the work would be greatly impacted without those briefings. I used to work with the FBI on a myriad of cases, and the partnership was invaluable to us to be able to fight crime in and around the city.”
Best was on the shortlist for the next Big Apple police commissioner during Adams’ 2021 transition into City Hall. She described the process — which relied on Deputy Mayor Phil Banks and top mayoral aide Timothy Pearson for the selection instead of an outside committee — as “unorthodox.”
The mayor eventually plucked the relatively unknown Keechant Sewell from Nassau County, LI, where she ran the detectives unit. She then abruptly resigned last year after being pushed to her breaking point with warring policing factions, including involving Banks and Pearson, paving the way for Caban to take over.
Both Banks and Pearson had their homes raided last week as well.
No one has been charged with wrongdoing.
But it has emerged that the feds are allegedly looking into Caban’s twin brother, James, who was appearing to moonlight as an issues “fixer” for swanky restaurants and nightclubs in Manhattan. The full scope of the probe still remains unclear nearly a week later.
By Monday, Caban was facing tremendous pressure to step down — but he was refusing to go.
But since news of the raids broke Thursday, insiders and policing experts had repeatedly raised concerns about Caban being able to perform his duties as commissioner while facing down the feds in their probe.
The mayor tried to slap down concerns Tuesday, telling reporters the commish would be briefed on terrorism cases since the federal probe had nothing to do with terror.
But he later conceded he didn’t know how the FBI was handling information-sharing with Caban.
The NYPD declined to comment.
Best said the commissioner can only operate on limited information only for so long and is in an “untenable position.
“I think the longer [the probe] lasts, the more at risk the [NYPD] and the city become,” she said.
“It creates this unstable feeling and impacts trust — and the people who bear the brunt of that are the men and women, the thousands of officers who are out there every single day trying to do the job with this cloud of suspicion,” Best said.
