Police Board Begins Making Short List for Next Top Cop

With the deadline for applying for Chicago’s next top cop expiring this past Friday, the police board is set to begin reviewing applications.

As required by city ordinance, whenever there is a vacancy in the police superintendent position, the Chicago Police Board is responsible for nominating three candidates for consideration by the mayor.

Former police superintendent Garry McCarthy was fired by the mayor last month in the wake of the release the Laquan McDonald shooting video. A nationwide search for a new top cop was launched on Dec. 10. Interested candidates had five weeks within which to submit an application.

Police Board President Lori E. Lightfoot indicated in a statement that the board has received applications from individuals inside the department, with prior department experience and military experience, as well law enforcement outside of Chicago.

The police board also held a public meeting last week to gather the views of community members of the qualities they’d like to see in the next police superintendent, as well as priorities for carrying out policies. Lightfoot said the public meetings have informed the police board’s work and will influence the interview process.

“Simply put, we are looking for the person who can best be an agent of change and make integrity the highest value held by the men and women of the Chicago Police Department,” she stated.

Lightfoot outlined the next steps of the selection process, which include reviewing applications and selecting candidates to be interviewed. She said the police board was limited in the details members could disclose at this time.

“As with any job application, disclosure of interest in another position can impact an individual’s existing relationship with his or her employer and in this case, potentially an entire city,” Lightfoot said. “And until we get to the finalists, we will not have any further substantive comment.”

The police board will again solicit public comments from community members at its next regular board meeting on Thursday, Jan. 21 at Chicago Public Safety Headquarters, 3510 South Michigan Ave. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.

On Jan. 11, Lightfoot was asked on Ch. 11’s “Chicago Tonight” show whether the next superintendent should be someone from inside the police department who “knows Chicago,” or whether the department needed a fresh pair of eyes, WTTW reporters Hunter Clauss and Kristen Thometz recapped.

“I think it’s got to be the best qualified person,” said Lightfoot. “What that means is, somebody who has a proven track record of success, of vision, on a number of different fronts. Top of the list, clearly, is community engagement. We have to have a superintendent who understands the importance, the necessity of engaging the community in a respectful way. Not only to make sure that he or she is listening to the voice of the community ... it’s a necessary and important element to effective policing.”

Lightfoot added that she hopes to have a new police superintendent announced by the end of February.