In New York City’s 178-year history, Mayor Eric Adams on Monday named Acting Police Chief Edward Caban as the city’s first Hispanic police commissioner, in charge of the country’s largest police force.

During a press briefing, former New York City police captain Adams welcomed Caban, 55, and noted that Caban has been crucial to the department’s efforts to reduce crime in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

“Commissioner Caban is truly one of New York’s finest, a leader who understands the importance of both safety and justice,” Adams said, noting that major crimes are down across the city this summer.

The amount of crime is down in New York City over the last three months, including a 17% decrease in shootings and a 3% drop homicides in June compared to same month in 2022, department data showed.

Caban stepped in following last month’s surprise resignation of Keechant Sewell, the first woman to lead the department, after 18 months in the job. She gave no reason for stepping down.

Caban began his police career in 1991 as a patrol officer in the South Bronx and hails from a family of police officers, including his father, a former New York City Transit detective, and three brothers who joined the city’s police department.

In 1994, he was promoted to sergeant and then lieutenant in 1999.

His career began as a “young Puerto Rican kid from Parkchester, standing on a foot post in the South Bronx, just like thousands who came before me and thousands who came after me,” he said, flanked by his father. “In those days, the top bosses in this department didn’t really look like me.”