Who is Tom Donlon, interim NYPD police commissioner?
NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York City Mayor Eric Adams has named Tom Donlon, a retired FBI official, as the interim police commissioner.
He replaces Edward Caban who resigned Thursday, one week after it emerged that his phone was seized as part of a federal investigation that touched several members of the mayor's inner circle.
The Bronx native comes from outside the NYPD but he has worked at the local, state, federal and international law enforcement and security levels.
"This came out of nowhere. We did not expect an outside person. I think we expected someone from within," Robert Boyce said, retired NYPD Chief of Detectives.
In a written statement Donlon wrote, "I am honored and humbled to be named interim-Commissioner of the New York City Police Department. 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."
The appointment of Donlon bypasses First Deputy Tania Kinsella and other top NYPD leadership including Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey and Chief of Patrol John Chell.
"When you look at the big picture here, there's a loss of confidence and uncertainty within the organization," Boyce said.
Donlon worked for the FBI for more than 30 years including serving as chief of the National Threat Center.
After that, former Governor David Paterson appointed him director of the Office of Homeland Security for New York.
He spent a little more than a year in that position moving into the private sector heading up global security for Credit Suisse and Blackrock.
"We're putting an outsider but this person is a New York guy, which is important. He's also a prominent member of law enforcement, extraordinary credentials, and I think he'll do fine," Boyce said.
Donlon also worked as the cold case agent investigating the 1993 Twin Towers bombing as well as the attacks on the US Embassies in Africa and the USS Cole in Yemen by al Qaeda.
"Tom joins a team at One Police Plaza that is relentlessly dedicated to public safety and protecting New Yorkers. That is why New York is the safest big city in the world, and why it will continue to be," Mayor Adams said during a news conference on Thursday.
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