Larry Snelling, a 28-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department, outlined his priorities on Monday as he was introduced as the city’s next top cop. NBC 5’s Charlie Wojciechowski reports.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson during a press conference Monday described incoming Chicago police superintendent Larry Snelling as "in a class all by himself."
"Chief Larry Snelling is a proven leader who knows and holds dear the soul of Chicago," Johnson said. "He commands the highest respect of his brothers and sisters in the department. I'm fully confident in his ability to unify and strengthen these critical public servants. I'm confident that he can boost their morale, and implement constitutionally driven reforms that will ultimately create a safer Chicago."
Snelling is 28-year member of the Chicago Police Department. He was raised on the city’s South Side, attended its public schools and holds a bachelor’s degree in adult education from DePaul University, officials said.
Snelling joined the department in 1992 as a patrol officer of his home community in Englewood, eventually rising in the ranks to become Deputy Chief of Area 2, 7th District Commander, Sergeant of Training and Sergeant of Patrol.
In 2022, Chief Snelling was promoted to chief of the Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, which coordinates with the Office of Emergency Management and Communication and other city agencies, the Chicago Police Department said.
"The police department and our community members are not two separate institutions because they can't be," Snelling said during Monday's press conference. "We have to work together by listening and learning from each other...Every member of this city has to be a stakeholder and I'm willing to sit down have a conversation with anybody and everybody within the city to work together to resolve some of the issues that we have, and make this city as safe as we can possibly make it."
"To our survivors of violent crime, and our victims," Snelling added, "I hear you. I see you and I stand with you."
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A recent report from The Associated Press indicated the numbers of murders and shootings in Chicago so far in 2023 are down in both categories by 5% and 10%, respectively, according to the most recent department crime statistics. However, overall major crime rates are up 35% so far this year over 2022.
"Safety in this city has to be a collective effort, one that transcends blocks and neighborhoods," Snelling said. "It is critical that we share the responsibility amongst law enforcement, city departments and sister agencies, local government, our federal partners, our residents and community leaders."
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What happens next
Snelling was named by Chicago's newly-formed Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability last month as one of three finalists for police superintendent, after a months-long, nationwide search. The other two finalists were Shon Barnes, the police chief in Madison, Wisconsin; and Angel Novalez, Chicago police chief of constitutional policing and reform.
"Our process was thorough and exhaustive," president of CCPSA Anthony Driver Jr. said Monday, adding that the commission held community forums, received survey responses from civilians and police officers, met with dozens of organizations and activist groups, and more.
"We looked under every rock and dotted every I," Driver continued. "I say all that to say that the expansiveness of our process is why I'm confident that Chief Larry Snelling is the right person for the job. He has demonstrated the kind of leadership that our department and our city needs today."
Before Snelling is confirmed, the commission will hold a public hearing with the incoming superintendent that must take place within 21 days.
"At the meeting, Chief Snelling will answer questions from the Commission and the public," Driver said, adding that a date for the hearing had not yet been set.
Following that, City Council will hold a committee hearing to vote on Snellings' appointment. "It will then move on to the full City Council, for what I hope is an upvote," Driver said.
If City Council votes to approve Chief Snellings' appointment, Driver said, the commission would then hold a series of four more public hearings.
"Those hearings will be an opportunity to learn more about the superintendent's plans, and they'll give people the opportunity to ask questions and share ideas about priorities for the department," Driver said.
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.
