Mayor Brandon Johnson has officially chosen Larry Snelling to serve as the Chicago Police Department’s next superintendent, with an introductory press conference scheduled for Monday. NBC 5’s Courtney Sisk reports.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has officially chosen Larry Snelling to serve as the Chicago Police Department's next superintendent, with an introductory press conference scheduled for Monday.
Snelling is a 28-year member of CPD, and has served as the department's Counterterrorism Chief since 2022.
“It is a tremendous honor to answer the call to serve my hometown and the people of Chicago as superintendent of the Chicago Police Department,” Snelling said in a statement. “It is also a tremendous responsibility, and one that I do not take lightly.”
Snelling will be introduced to media at 11:30 a.m. Monday. His selection will have to be confirmed by the Chicago City Council before he can assume leadership.
Snelling has previously served as Deputy Chief of Area 2, 7th District Commander, Sergeant of Training and Sergeant of Patrol. From 2001-2010, Snelling was an instructor for the department's training academy. Snelling was a lead trainer for field force training ahead of the 2012 Chicago NATO Summit.
“Today, a new chapter begins in our journey to create a better, stronger and safer Chicago as Chief Larry Snelling has been charged to lead the Chicago Police Department,” Johnson said in a statement. “Chief Snelling is a proven leader who has the experience and the respect of his peers to help ensure the safety and well-being of city residents, and address the complex challenges we all face related to community safety.”
Snelling said that he looks forward to the job, and that he will focus on innovative new crime-fighting strategies that enhance ties with the community, while also building morale within the department.
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“In order to continue to make progress as a department, we must embrace innovation, continue to strengthen morale, and go further in strengthening bonds of trust between police and community,” he said in a statement. “While I am humbled by this moment, I stand ready to lead and uphold Mayor Johnson's 'three Cs' of competence, compassion and collaboration, and keep that vision at the forefront in addressing safety on every street, every block and in every neighborhood."
Chicago's newly-formed Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability had last month revealed their three finalists to be the next police superintendent, with two of the finalists coming from within the department.
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Madison police chief Shon F. Barnes and Angel Novalez, Chief of Constitutional Policing and Reform, were the other two finalists.
Several Chicago alderman have told NBC Chicago they expect Snelling will be Johnson's top choice, but the official announcement is slated for the coming days.
"In a statement after the finalists were announced, Johnson said the moment marked "an important milestone in our search for a new superintendent of the Chicago Police Department" and said the finalists came from "a field of highly qualified candidates." I want to express my gratitude to all those that applied, and commend the CCPSA for its dedicated work throughout this selection process. I am confident that Chicago’s next superintendent will inspire trust, foster collaboration, and lead with integrity," he said. "Together we will continue to build a better, stronger, and safer Chicago.”
Anthony Driver, president of community commission for public safety and accountability told NBC Chicago that Snelling his someone both his peers and many in the community look up to.
“We were looking for someone who could tackle a number of issues," explained Driver, who helped lead the 120 day search for new superintendent. "You know our city has faced a number of different issues and crises. Somebody who can build trust. I think he checked all those boxes.”
Retired Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Eugene Roy told NBC 5 said, "You’re constantly juggling balls and he juggled them without losing any."
“He’s got to work with the officers, he’s got to improve their morale which is very low right now," Roy stated. "He has to motivate them and bring them back.”
The Chicago Police Department is currently being led by interim Superintendent Fred Waller, who was appointed May 15. Waller spent 34 years at the department before joining a parade of top brass to leave during the turbulent tenure of now-departed Supt. David Brown.
