Upon Taking Oath As Chicago's New Top Cop, David Brown Sets 'Moonshot Goals': Record Lows For Murders And Shootings;

CHICAGO (CBS) -- After winning unanimous confirmation as the city's new top cop, and taking the oath of office, Police Supt. David Brown set the loftiest of goals for the Chicago Police Department: reaching record lows in murders and shootings, and achieving "the highest level of trust" from the public.

"Buckle your seatbelts. We're headed to the moon," Brown said after he was sworn in Wednesday afternoon at City Hall.

During an abbreviated City Council meeting Wednesday morning, aldermen voted 50-0 to approve Mayor Lori Ligthfoot's appointment of Brown as the city's 63rd police superintendent. Brown replaces Charlie Beck, the former Los Angeles police chief who served as interim superintendent for four months after Lightfoot fired Eddie Johnson in December.

"In David Brown, we are not only getting a public servant of the highest order – and we are – we are also getting a man whose values, and own lived experience make him ideally suited for the long term challenges that we are working to solve, and I am tremendously proud and excited to be working with him in the months and years ahead," Lightfoot said just before administering Brown's oath of office at City Hall.

Brown said he plans to tour all of the city's neighborhoods and interact with residents as soon as it's safe to do so, given the COVID-19 crisis.

"I am extremely honored, I'm extremely humbled, and I'm very excited for this great opportunity to lead the Chicago Police Department, and the brave men and women of the Police Department," he said.

Brown has been running the department for nearly a week as acting superintendent, and said he's talked to top commanders about his "moonshot goals" for CPD, "reminding them of how this country race against the Russians to be the first land on the moon."

"Anyone can do average. Chicagoans deserve a moonshot: the lowest murders on record, the lowest numbers of shootings on record, and the highest level of trust in its officers from its residents," he said.

During his confirmation hearing before the Public Safety Committee on Tuesday, Brown vowed to step up efforts to increase diversity among the department's top ranks, and to increase reliance on community policing strategies to help reestablish trust with the public.

During his four-month stint as the city's top cop, Beck had suspended the Chicago Police Department's merit promotion system, which was a frequent target of criticism. Many rank-and-file officers have said the system often awarded promotions to the ranks of sergeant, lieutenant, and captain based solely on an officer's relationship with top brass, rather than qualifications.

However, several aldermen have said the merit promotion system is needed to ensure diversity in the top ranks, because highly qualified officers are passed over for promotions simply because they don't do well on written tests.

Brown has said he plans to "fast-track" a new system for merit promotions at CPD.

"I will be aggressively pursuing a replacement for merit," Brown said Tuesday.

However, he said he's first awaiting an evaluation required by the court-ordered consent decree mandating sweeping reforms at the department.

"The consent decree requires that there be an independent and complete evaluation of the promotional process that speaks to diversity," Brown said. "It is my expectation that this evaluation required by the consent decree would generate a series of recommendations that will address the lack of diversity in the upper ranks of the department."

Brown said he plans to look at the merit promotions processes of other major cities before implementing a replacement system at CPD.

"We want to find the gold standard testing system that meets our needs," he said.

Brown also said the department needs to implement more professional development programs across all ranks and demographic groups to make sure qualified minority officers are promoted through the ranks.

"You have to seek out training for your rising stars," he said.

He also said he wants to create a formalized professional recruitment program for the police academy to bring in more minority recruits, rather than relying mainly on marketing campaigns.

Brown also said stepping up community policing efforts across the city will be key to reducing violent crime.

"Community policing has a connection to building trust, which makes investigating crime, solving crime, and reducing crime particularly preventative in communities that struggle with gun crime, especially," he said.

Brown said he wants to see officers reaching out more directly to minority communities, including youths, small businesses, and senior citizens.

"This is my wheelhouse. This is where I think effective policing should be. You have to be community-policing-facing in all of your efforts," he said. "I will develop and identify community policing savants to push, pull, and if necessary to drag the police department to a community policing-oriented culture that yields outcomes that make us all safer."

In:
• Chicago City Council
• Chicago Police Department