Community Commission on Public Safety to launch search for new CPD superintendent
CHICAGO (CBS) -- With Chicago Police Supt. David Brown officially stepping down on Thursday, the search is on for the city's next top cop.
For the first time, a newly formed police oversight committee will handle the search to replace Brown.
It will mark the first time the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability will conduct the search for a new superintendent instead of the Chicago Police Board.
The City Council approved an ordinance forming the commission in 2021. Mayor Lori Lightfoot appointed seven interim commission members recommended by the Public Safety Committee last year, and they will be tasked with leading the search.
"This community commission was created to inject community voice into our public safety infrastructure, and that is going to be our main goal. We expect to have a very transparent process; one that is engaging all residents of our city – from the South, the West, and the North sides – and one that takes into account the issues that our city currently is facing," said the commission's president, Anthony Driver.
The commission has 120 days from the time Brown leaves office to recommend three finalists for the job to the mayor, after conducting a nationwide search, including interviews and background checks for each applicant. First, the commission must hold at least four public hearings to gather input from Chicago residents.
Driver said the commission intends for their search for a new superintendent to be the most transparent the city has ever seen.
Complicating the process is the fact there will be a new mayor taking office in May, after Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her bid for re-election last month, although the commission does not yet know if the next mayor will be Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson or former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas. The two have offered starkly different approaches to improving public safety in Chicago.
"I think it presents some unique challenges, but I will also say that our commission, that's one of the reasons that our commission was created. It is an independent body that is independent of the mayor," Driver said. "We will come up with three names that we will send to the mayor, who will then have to pick from those three, but we are an independent body, and will work well with whatever administration comes next."
If the next mayor is not satisfied with the three finalists chosen by the commission, he can reject them and have them begin a new search.
Driver said one of the most important things they will be looking for is someone who can help the city reduce its murder rate, and improve the department's clearance rate on homicide cases.
"We're looking for somebody who's willing to work with the community, who is looking to be a partner, who respects diversity, who wants to shore up our department, and make it actually a world-class department that keeps Chicagoans safe, and is willing to engage not only with our commission, but work well with the administration, and all residents throughout the city," Driver said.
The commission will hold a news conference Wednesday morning at City Hall to discuss the search process.
