Commission announces 3 finalists for next Chicago police superintendent

CHICAGO (CBS) – Chicago is one step closer to getting a more permanent leader of its police department.

CBS 2's Jermont Terry was at Kennedy-King College, where the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability voted to decide which three candidates were the finalists to be the next Chicago police superintendent. Two of the three finalists are from within CPD ranks while the third would be considered an outsider.

The three finalists are Shon Barnes, the police chief in Madison, Wisconsin; Angel Novalez, CPD chief of constitutional policing and reform; and CPD Deputy Chief Larry Snelling.

Snelling is a 28-year CPD member. He oversees 1,200 department members as the chief of counterterrorism.

Novalez is a 23-year CPD member.

Barnes has been the police chief in Madison since February of 2021. He was previously the director of training and professional development for the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) in Chicago from 2017 to 2020, according to his biography. He holds a doctorate in leadership studies.

Barnes said in a statement he was notified he was a finalist for the job, but declined further comment to "respect the hiring process."

After holding seven community forums over four months, the commission was ready to winnow the field down to the top three picks on Thursday. This is the first time in the city's history that the hiring process for a new police superintendent was this public.

Since the search got underway, a total of 54 people expressed interest in running the CPD. The commission had 120 days by law to present its picks to Mayor Brandon Johnson and that'll happen with a day to spare.

Over the past few months, residents were involved in voicing their opinions about what they wanted to see in the next police superintendent. The president of the commission told CBS 2 they took those concerns to heart and explained just how wide of a pool of applicants expanded.

"Six were major chiefs or have experience as s major chief in other cities," said Anthony Driver. "Eight have experience as chief of police in smaller cities, 23 are affiliated with Chicago Police Department. We had a diverse group of folks that represented about 12 states. We even had one person from another country."

Many residents at Thursday's commission meeting said they think the next superintendent should know the city and the department, including the FOP President John Catanzara.

"Someone coming into that from the outside is going to be hard-pressed to grasp it," Cantanzara said. "There are inter-politics. This is Chicago."

Notably missing in the final three was a female contender.

"We should have had at least one woman on the list," said Teresa Chandler of the 7th District Police Council. "I'm very disappointed with that."

Remel Terry, a commission member, said, "I don't think whether or not a gender should have been in the role, but more so who was most qualified."

Johnson has 30 days to pick from one of the three finalists or tell the commission to keep looking.

In a statement released after the decision on Thursday, Johnson did not directly address the three names, but he thanked the commission for its "dedicated work throughout this selection process." He added, "I am confident that Chicago's next superintendent will inspire trust, foster collaboration, and lead with integrity."

In:
• Chicago Police Department