Crime & Law
44 People Apply to Be Chicago’s Next Police Superintendent: Commission
(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
Forty-four people applied to lead the Chicago Police Department, the president of the commission charged with picking CPD’s next top cop said Monday.
In 2023, the last time Chicago needed a new chief law enforcement officer, 53 people applied for the job. In 2020, 23 people applied to lead the police department, records show.
Applicants include current and former members of the Chicago Police Department, as well as candidates from outside of CPD, according to a statement from the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability.
Applicants include those who have held “high-ranking law enforcement leadership positions in major cities, including Chicago. The pool is also racially and ethnically diverse,” according to the statement from the police oversight board better known as the CCPSA.
Former Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling retired July 15, after taking over in September 2023. Mayor Brandon Johnson tapped Fred Waller, who served as deputy director of CPD under Snelling, to serve as interim superintendent.
The deadline to apply was Thursday.
The seven-member oversight board will spend the month of October interviewing candidates, CCPSA President Remel Terry said.
In 2023, the commission interviewed 16 candidates, records show.
“The next phase is really about getting to know these candidates as leaders — how they make difficult decisions, how they work with communities and officers, and whether they understand what it takes to lead CPD at this moment,” Terry said.
The commission has held five public meetings to gather feedback from Chicagoans about the qualities they want to see in the next police superintendent.
Chicagoans told commissioners they want the city’s top cop to display “strong leadership, accountability, community trust, officer support, public safety and continued progress on police reform,” according to the statement from the commission. “Residents have also emphasized the importance of a superintendent who understands Chicago’s communities and is willing to listen to both residents and officers.”
The commission has until Nov. 12 to recommend three finalists to Johnson, who is running for reelection. Election Day is Feb. 23.
The mayor will then have 30 days to choose a superintendent or ask for another slate of options before asking the Chicago City Council to confirm his choice.
WTTW News coverage of policing and police reform is supported by The Joyce Foundation.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
