Answering the Call to Service: Edward A. Caban ’89SVC

“In Spring of 1985, I was a senior at Cardinal Hayes High School and St. John’s was at the top of the sports world. You had Chris Mullin, Walter Berry, and even President Ronald Reagan come to campus. I wanted to be part of that spirit, so I went to St. John’s.”

That year, the BIG EAST owned the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Final Four. Three teams from the conference advanced to the Final Four—the only time in NCAA tournament history. It included Georgetown and St. John’s, the two rival teams that had been the best in the country all season.

Neither of those teams would win the national title. Instead, another BIG EAST team, the Villanova Wildcats—in one of college basketball’s most memorable moments— ultimately won the championship.

Days before the 1985 Final Four, then-President Ronald Reagan visited St. John’s—at the time, the largest Roman Catholic university in the nation—for a presidential address delivered to an overflow Alumni Hall (now Carnesecca Arena) filled with thousands of students from blue-collar and ethnic families.

In a full circle moment, almost 40 years later, when the president and other heads of state now visit New York City, it is Police Commissioner Caban, the first Hispanic person to lead the New York Police Department (NYPD), who is charged with maintaining law and order.

Established in 1845, the NYPD is the largest and one of the oldest municipal police departments in the United States, with approximately 36,000 officers and 19,000 civilian employees responsible for policing a city of 8.5 million people. It has an annual budget of $5.8 billion dollars, which is similar to the state budgets of New Hampshire and Vermont, and more than the state budgets of Delaware and South Dakota.

The NYPD is headed by the Police Commissioner, whom the Mayor appoints with the function to carry out the department’s critical mission: ensuring a safe, secure environment and enhancing the quality of life for all New Yorkers and visitors to the Big Apple.

On July 17, 2023, standing outside of the 40th Precinct in the South Bronx where Edward began his policing career, New York City Mayor Eric Adams appointed him as Commissioner. He described the St. John’s graduate as “a Bronx native, with more than 30 years of experience as one of New York’s Finest,” and “the right choice at the right time.”

Born and raised in the Bronx, NY, pride in public service was a family value in the tight-knit Caban family. Edward, of Puerto Rican descent, began his career as a police officer in 1991, patrolling the streets of the South Bronx. His father, Juan, was a New York City Transit Police Detective who also served as the President of the Transit Police Hispanic Society. Three of Edward’s brothers, including his twin, have also served in the NYPD.

During his time at St. John’s, Edward recalled hanging out in Marillac cafeteria in between classes. A full-time student, he worked odd jobs on the weekend with his father, and even picked up security jobs while he completed his degree in criminal justice.

At home, in the classrooms of St. John’s, and in the NYPD Police Academy, Edward would be instilled with a passion for public service and helping others. “Catholic schools like Hayes and St. John’s reinforced the early lessons of my parents, and the NYPD Academy finessed that mission of service to others,” he said. “There is nothing in the world like public service. My father taught me that every day on the job is an opportunity to change lives— and in the NYPD we get to do that every single day.”

He began his police career in 1991 and steadily climbed the NYPD ranks in 1994 with a promotion to Sergeant. After several supervisory assignments in the Bronx and northern Manhattan, he was promoted to Lieutenant in 1999 and entered the executive ranks in 2005 with a promotion to Captain. He served as the Executive Officer of the 23rd Precinct in East Harlem before being chosen to lead the 25th Precinct as its Commanding Officer in 2006. He was promoted to Deputy Inspector in 2008, and served as the Adjutant of Patrol Borough Brooklyn North, overseeing many public safety programs before being promoted to Inspector in 2015. In 2022, Edward became the NYPD’s First Deputy Commissioner. He stepped into the role of acting Commissioner after his predecessor, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell, resigned.

When asked about points of pride for the NYPD, Edward boasted of its membership’s diversity and opportunities. “We are a majority/minority police force, and the NYPD reflects the city that we serve with officers from 100 countries who speak 70 languages,” he said. “More than 40 percent of officers are of Hispanic descent,” he added, a fact that makes him beam with ancestral pride due to his family ties to Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Edward continued, “I want students to know of the immeasurable professional career choices available in the NYPD. We open doors and give students countless opportunities. The NYPD has so many different bureaus and units, from canine to counter terrorism. We cover it all and always look for the next generation of public servant leaders.”

As a proud member of two long-serving New York City institutions— St. John’s University and the NYPD—Edward’s biography is woven deep into the fabric of the global metropolis he serves. To that end, he wears NYPD blue, but his heart bleeds St. John’s red!