Tipping his hat to outgoing Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell, Mayor Adams on Saturday officially announced that First Deputy Commissioner Eddie Caban would temporarily take charge of the nation’s largest police department, becoming the NYPD’s first top cop of Hispanic descent.

“Until we name a permanent replacement, Eddie Caban has taken the helm as acting police commissioner,” Mayor Adams said in an afternoon news release.

“Commissioner Caban is a consummate professional with over three decades of service in the NYPD. I know the hard-working men and women of our city’s police department have a strong leader in place until a more formal announcement is made in the coming weeks.”

Sewell walked into Mayor Adams office in City Hall and resigned in a surprise move on June 12 — a day after The Post reported that sources said she was unhappy because she didn’t have the full power of the department’s top job. Police sources said Adams, a former NYPD officer, and Deputy Mayor Phil Banks, a former department official, were overly involved in the agency’s operations.

Mayor Adams lauded Sewell, the first woman and first black woman to lead the department, in his statement.

“Commissioner Sewell not only led the NYPD with distinction and honor every day, but she inspired millions of young girls and boys in her role,” Adams wrote. “… today, we are safer than we were on January 1, 2022, with most major crimes down, and that is thanks, in large part, to Commissioner Sewell taking a leading role in this administration’s tireless work to make New York City safer. All New Yorkers owe her a debt of gratitude, and we wish her the best as she embarks on the next chapter.”

Sewell was popular among the department’s rank and file.

In her last official appearance, Sewell attended a promotions ceremony at the NYPD’s Police Academy in Queens on Friday and received multiple standing ovations, shedding tears as a tribute video played that showed officers from throughout the department thanking her.

Sewell, who lives on Long Island, has not made her future plans public.

The Police Benevolent Association released a statement praising Caban.
“We have always had a strong relationship with Commissioner Caban, and we look forward to continuing that relationship as he takes on this new role,” PBA President Patrick Hendry said. “We will need to start working with him immediately to address the NYPD’s morale and staffing problems. Commissioner Caban knows these problems are hurting public safety. The solutions absolutely cannot wait.”

As the second-in-command, Caban has taken the lead in policy development, personnel management, recruit and in-service training and overall supervision of the discipline system, according to the NYPD. He has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from St. John’s University. He and his wife Leidy, have one son, Edward, and one daughter, Ava. His father, Juan, was a NYC Transit Police Detective who also served as the President of the Transit Police Hispanic Society.