Since March of this year, the search has been on to find the Chicago Police Department’s next superintendent. Former Supt. David Brown officially announced his resignation the day after Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her re-election bid. Surprisingly, the opening to lead Chicago’s troubled police force has drawn a large pool of candidates from across the country.
This Time Is Different
The last time Chicago needed a new police superintendent was in 2020. It was the height of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but before the death of George Floyd, and the nationwide outrage at major city police department behavior that followed.
Nonetheless, only 23 people applied for the position that year, compared to 53 this time around. Mayor Lightfoot chose Supt. Brown from a list of three finalists given to her by the Chicago Police Board. However, Lightfoot already had her eye on the then-retired Dallas Police Chief David Brown months in advance, and her loyalists on the police board were sure to include him in the list of finalists.
The process of Supt. Brown’s selection was only slightly less questionable than his predecessor’s. In 2016, Mayor Rahm Emanuel ignored the finalists chosen by the police board, led by Lightfoot at the time. He instead decided to appoint Eddie Johnson for the superintendent role, despite the fact that he hadn’t even applied.
This time around will be significantly different. In 2021, the Chicago City Council voted to create the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability. Now, instead of the police board, the community commission will be reviewing candidates and taking input from the community. Anthony Driver Jr., the president of the new commission, spoke about the process at a news conference on Wednesday.
“Our goal is to find a superintendent who understands the complexities of policing a diverse city like ours,” said Driver. He went on to say that they want a candidate who will have, “our shared values of equity, justice and community-centered policing.”
Who Are the Applicants?
This pool of candidates hails from 10 different states, including one applicant from outside of the country. Of the 53 applicants, only 11 are women. In terms of race, 24 of the applicants are white, 22 are Black, and seven are Hispanic.
Six of the applicants have police chief experience in a major city. Thirty-two applicants are or were at one time affiliated with CPD.
According to Driver, Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson has not pushed his or his team’s influence on the selection process. The only input Johnson has made on the decision is that he would like the next superintendent to be promoted from within the ranks of the department.
“Our commission is completely independent. Our commission was created to inject the public’s voice into this process. So that’s who we are taking our orders from,” said Driver to the Chicago Sun-Times. ” [Johnson and his team] have not tried to submit names. In fact, the extent of the communication with incoming Mayor Johnson is that it’s really important that we have a robust community engagement process.”
Brandon Johnson’s Plan for Public Safety
Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson has made several comments about what his plans are for the Chicago Police Department. For starters, Johnson named Fred Waller as interim superintendent, a job he will take over from Eric Carter on May 15, the same day Johnson takes office.
Johnson says he wants to add or promote 200 detectives to help speed up investigations and lighten the workload of the 1,139 detectives currently on the force. He also wants to have more EMTs, nurses, and social workers take over the responsibility of responding to certain calls traditionally handled by police officers.
Finally, he intends not to renew the city’s contract with ShotSpotter, a gunfire detection technology company out of California. Officers have reported in the past that ShotSpotter is mostly ineffective at leading to any evidence or arrests.
“This expensive technology played a pivotal role in the police killing of 13-year-old Adam Toledo,” said Johnson, referring to the 2021 incident where police shot and killed Toledo after responding to a ShotSpotter alert. “Chicago spends $9 million a year on ShotSpotter despite clear evidence it is unreliable and overly susceptible to human error.”
Citizens can only hope and wait to see if Johnson’s strategies will pay off in one of the most violent cities in the country. As far as the decision of Chicago’s next police superintendent, the commission must submit its list of three finalists by July 14. Johnson will then have 30 days to select his candidate or ask for more options before the city council approves his choice.
Written by Seth Herlinger
Sources:
Chicago Sun-Times: Back-channel search for Chicago’s top cop? Not this time, says president of civilian oversight panel
Chicago Sun-Times: Lightfoot ‘got my man’ in David Brown, but did she subvert process for choosing top cop?
City of Chicago: Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability
WBEZ Chicago: Five of Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson’s public safety promises — and obstacles
WTTW: 53 People Apply to Be Chicago’s Next Police Superintendent: Commission
All images courtesy of Seth Herlinger
