Police Supt. David Brown to resign, move back to Texas
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A day after Mayor Lori Lightfoot failed in her bid for reelection, she announced Chicago Police Supt. David Brown is resigning.
Brown's resignation will take effect Thursday, March 16. The former Dallas police chief he will be returning to Texas and moving to the private sector.
"I've accepted a job opportunity to be the Chief Operating Officer of Loncar Lyon Jenkins, a personal injury law firm with seven offices in Texas. I will be stepping down as Chicago Police Superintendent effective March 16, 2023 so the incoming mayor can begin the process as soon as possible to hire the next Superintendent.
"It has been an honor and a privilege to work alongside the brave men and women of the Chicago Police Department. 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."
Brown was handpicked by Mayor Lightfoot, and the mayor has been his biggest supporter. But with Lightfoot counting down her time in office, Brown did not waste any time putting in his resignation.
Mayor Lightfoot released the following statement:
"Today, Superintendent David O. Brown informed me that he would be resigning as Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department effective March 16. I accepted his resignation and want to commend him for his accomplishments not just for the department but the entire city, including setting a record number of illegal gun recoveries for two consecutive years; leading a double digit reduction in violent crime in 2022; significant, consistent progress on the consent decree; standing up a full time recruitment team that yielded over 950 new hires last year; significantly expanding the resources for officer wellness; and promoting more women to the senior exempt ranks than ever before in the history of the department. I personally want to thank him for his service to our city."
Brown did appear and speak Wednesday night at a news conference on a shooting that killed a Chicago Police officer in the Gage Park neighborhood. This was several hours after the announcement of his pending resignation.
Before that, the last time Brown had made a public appearance was back on Feb. 10, when he provided an update to the news media about an arrest in a shooting outside Benito Juarez High School in Pilsen.
As CBS 2's Jermont Terry reported, Brown has not held his Monday briefings for some time.
Brown will be replaced by First Deputy Supt. Eric Carter on an interim basis until a new mayor is sworn in. Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson are the finalists for a runoff election for mayor on April 4.
Mayor Lightfoot has requested the city officially post Brown's position and start the search for the new police superintendent immediately. That way, by the time a new mayor is voted in, either Vallas or Johnson will already have a good list to pick from.
As CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov reported Wednesday, the timing of Brown's resignation is a bit surprising. But the fact that he is leaving the job after just under three years is not.
Brown's leadership of the Police Department – during a time of rising violent crime overall in the city – was a big issue in the mayoral race.
Brown was appointed to the superintendent position in April 2020. He had previously served as police chief in Dallas for six years.
As Dallas police chief, Brown had found himself in the national spotlight after a sniper killed five police officers in an ambush attack in Dallas in 2016, and he ordered the use of a remote-controlled robot equipped with a bomb to kill the gunman.
Some of the criticism Brown faced as CPD superintendent was that he did not understand Chicago – making him a less-than-effective superintendent.
Brown started on the job just a month before the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked looting and civil unrest in Chicago. Several months later, a scathing Chicago Office of Inspector General report said police were unprepared, disorganized, and without a plan during the civil unrest at the end of May 2020.
Brown was personally criticized several times in the report.
But up until her reelection bid failed on Tuesday night, Mayor Lightfoot defended Brown.
Almost all the 2023 mayoral candidates – with the exceptions of Willie Wilson and Mayor Lightfoot herself – planned to replace Brown.
In an interview with Kozlov, Vallas said he would replace Brown with someone promoted from within the department.
"I believe if I go in and replace Brown and his leadership team by promoting people from within – who are well-respected and known the community and are competent – I'm absolutely convinced that I'll significantly slow the exodus of police officers, while simultaneously making it attractive to be a Chicago Police officer again," Vallas said.
Vallas' strong showing Tuesday night could be very much due to his clear message about making Chicago a safer city. Johnson's message up to this point has really been about making Chicago a safer city by investing in underserved communities.
Vallas released the following statement Wednesday:
"Superintendent Brown failed to make our city safer and his resignation is a positive step forward. As Mayor, I will appoint a new police superintendent and command team from within CPD that will prioritize community policing, end the failed friends and family promotion system and invest in building trust between the police and our communities.
"Public safety is a civil right and as Mayor I will work with CPD and all of our communities to make Chicago the safest big city in America."
Johnson released this statement:
"The next superintendent of the Chicago Police Department must be as fully committed to the health and safety of all Chicagoans as I am, and to immediately meeting all requirements of the federal consent decree while addressing the root causes of crime. As mayor, my preference will be to appoint someone from within the current ranks of the Department, but most important is appointing the right person for the job – someone who is collaborative, competent and compassionate, and who truly cares about protecting and serving the people of our city."