Chicago Police Supt. David Brown will resign later this month, but with a new mayor not yet elected, who will lead the department?
Brown, who had served as superintendent since 2020, will officially resign his post on March 16.
“I accepted his resignation and wanted to commend him for his accomplishments, not just for the department for the entire city,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement.
Lightfoot lost her bid for reelection Tuesday, but with a runoff election between Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson set for April 4, there will be quite a gap between Brown's departure and the appointment of a new superintendent by the next mayor of the city.
During that period, First Deputy Eric Carter will serve as interim superintendent until the city’s new mayor is sworn in, the mayor's office said.
Brown issued a statement revealing that he had accepted a new job as COO of a personal injury firm in his native Texas.
"It has been an honor and a privilege to work alongside the brave men and women of the Chicago Police Department," he said. "I will continue to pray that all officers return home to their families safe at the end of their shift. May the Good Lord bless the city of Chicago and the men and women who serve and protect this great city."
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Lightfoot has directed the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability to initiate a search for a new superintendent so that the new mayor of the city can choose a full-time successor for Brown in the coming weeks.
Both candidates who beat Lightfoot in Tuesday’s election, Vallas and Johnson, had indicated that they would fire Brown when sworn in later this year.
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Brown took over the department in 2020 after the dismissal of Eddie Johnson following “a series of ethical lapses” that culminated in officers finding Johnson asleep in a city-owned vehicle. Johnson later told Lightfoot he had consumed alcohol and requested an inquiry, with the mayor later firing Johnson after he misrepresented elements of the story.
Brown was nominated to the post in April 2020 and was approved unanimously by the Chicago City Council later that month.
Lightfoot praised Brown for the department’s efforts in reducing violent crime, as well as his emphasis on seizing illegal weapons and breaking up gang activity in the city.
Brown’s department has faced criticism for its difficulties in hiring new officers and retaining officers on the force, and has also been criticized for its low clearance rates on homicides and other crimes.
