City Council Panel OK's McCarthy For Police Superintendent
UPDATED 06/06/11 6:45 p.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago City Council committee on Monday approved Mayor Emanuel's choice for a new superintendent of police, and the full council is expected to confirm the selection on Wednesday.
Then, Garry McCarthy from New Jersey will be doing officially what he's now doing temporarily.
CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine says McCarthy told aldermen just what they wanted to hear – that he'll put more cops on the street.
"I've said it publicly and I'll say it again, if I need to I will stop the administrative function of this agency to put every single cop on the street to stop our children from getting shot," he said.
McCarthy confirmed what CBS 2 reported Sunday -- that he is about to reassign a second wave of officers to patrol duty.
"I'm looking to get probably a couple hundred more cops out very quickly," he said.
The only question aldermen had was where those cops would be assigned.
"I'm hoping … he'll put those resources where they're so badly needed and not listen to people who just say we want more police protection," Ald. Anthony Beale (9th Ward) told Levine.
McCarthy seemed to agree Beale, but only up to a point.
"I'm not willing to abandon one part of the city to save another part, but at the same time we have to have adequate resources distributed everywhere," he said
McCarthy said he'll have a plan in place by the beginning of the next school year to protect students as they arrive and leave schools.
On Sunday morning, McCarthy attended mass at St. Sabina Roman Catholic Church in the Auburn-Gresham neighborhood, where he revealed another part of his philosophy about cutting crime.
"The police cannot arrest our way out of crime. It's got to be done on a different level," McCarthy said. "It's got to be done in recognition of the moral authority of the community to change behavior of criminals."
The Rev. Michael Pfleger and the congregation at the church applauded at McCarthy's remarks.
"The NRA does not like me, and I'm OK with that," he continued.
"I was made the deputy commissioner of operations, where I was responsible for crime control strategy for the entire NYPD," McCarthy told the aldermen on the committee.
Also on hand at the committee meeting was Christopher Cooper, spokesman for the Washington, D.C.-based National Black Police Association. He said the group supports McCarthy as the next Chicago Police superintendent, but wants him to make a commitment that he will work with the African-American community to come up with a crime-fighting strategy.
"There are times when the black community is at odds with the Chicago Police Department, and we hope that Garry McCarthy will work closely with the black police associations," Cooper said. "The black police associations are directly connected to the black communities here in Chicago, and we're hoping any tension that there is can be minimized."
After the hearing Monday, the committee will make its recommendation to the City Council. On Wednesday, the Council as a whole is expected to approve McCarthy.
