Concerned that their headquarters might be bugged amid a federal investigation, the top brass of the New York Police Department have taken to holding private meetings outside in the parking lot, the New York Post reported Tuesday.
High-ranking police officials were seen in the secured lot outside of One Police Plaza, paranoid that their conversations inside headquarters would not be private, the Post reported.
"The feds are telling us they can get to anybody, anytime, anywhere," one source told the Post. "And that is unprecedented."
Federal agents seized the phone of New York City Police Commissioner Edward Caban last Thursday as part of a probe that has engulfed Mayor Eric Adams' administration. Several other high-ranking officials at City Hall also had their phones seized.
The New York Times reported Monday night that Adams was seeking Caban's resignation. Adams, speaking with reporters on Tuesday, declined to say if he remained confident in Caban, The Washington Post reported. Adams avoided addressing the Times' report.
Politico, too, reported Monday that Caban would resign this week.
"I have the utmost confidence in the New York City Police Department," is all Adams would say, according to the Washington Post.
Police officials have increased the frequency of bug sweeps inside NYPD headquarters as well as city vehicles, including those used by Adams, according to the New York Post.
NBC New York first reported that the investigation centers on the NYPD's nightclub enforcement. The IRS is aiding the investigation along with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. The investigation has zeroed in on James Caban and whether he profited by acting as a liaison between nightclubs and the NYPD, and whether that resulted in special treatment for the bars, NBC New York reported.
To date, however, no one has been accused of any wrongdoing.