Monday marked the deadline for interested candidates to apply to become Chicago’s next top cop, and Interim Superintendent Charlie Beck weighed in on what he believes is most important as the city searches for the right candidate.
During a speech at the City Club of Chicago, Beck said that he believes the new superintendent should view their job not just as a local one, but from a national perspective as well.
The interim superintendent also said that he doesn’t think it matters whether the new person on the job is an “insider or an outsider,” but that it is critical that the individual understands the department and its needs, but small-scale and large-scale.
“I don’t think it matters whether it’s an insider or an outsider,” he said. “If it’s an outsider, it has to be an outsider who understands CPD. This is a very complicated organization.”
Beck spent more than 43 years rising up the ranks at the Los Angeles Police Department during his law enforcement career, so he also sees the value of an insider candidate.
“If it’s an internal person, it has to be somebody who has had access to what’s going on in the profession nationally,” he said.
Beck took over the role as interim superintendent after Eddie Johnson was forced out amid an internal investigation. Johnson was seen drinking with a police officer who had been one of his drivers, and after originally saying that a change in medication had caused him to fall asleep behind the wheel of his car, Johnson admitted that he had been drinking prior to the incident.
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Now with the deadline passing, those candidates in the running for the job will be vetted by the Chicago Police Board. That board will then present three finalists to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to consider before a new hire is made, with the advice and consent of the City Council.
