Tom Donlon, a prominent former FBI and counterterrorism official, will serve as the NYPD’s interim commissioner, Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday.
The appointment came after Adams said he accepted the resignation of embattled Commissioner Edward Caban, who stepped down amid a federal probe that saw agents seize electronic devices from his home.
“I’m taking immediate action in appointing Tom Donlon as interim police commissioner,” Adams said in a video address.
“Tom is an experienced law enforcement professional who has worked at the local, state, federal and international levels.”
Donlon, a Bronx native, served as New York’s Director of the Office of Homeland Security, ran the FBI’s National Threat Assessment Center and the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force.
He also worked as the cold case agent investigating the 1993 Twin Towers bombing, as well as the attacks in US embassies in Africa and the USS Cole in Yemen by al Qaeda.
“I am honored and humbled to be named interim-Commissioner of the New York City Police Department, the greatest law enforcement agency in the world,” Donlon said in a statement.
“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,” he added. “I want to thank outgoing Commissioner Caban for his service to this department throughout his more than 30-year career and I look forward to building on the progress this administration has made keeping New York City the safest big city in America.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.