Essay Question For Chicago Police Supt. Candidates: 'What Does Accountability Mean?'
(CBS) – You'll need more than just a resume to be considered as Chicago's next police superintendent.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports on what applying for that job will entail.
This eight-page application, found on the Chicago Police Board website, requires the usual, resume and list of references, but also something else: questions demonstrating how a candidate thinks about the current climate facing Chicago police.
Those who want to be Chicago's next top cop will have to meet some tough criteria. There are eight essay questions, including this: "What does accountability mean in the context of policing?" Another essay question notes the "number of highly publicized cases involving use of force by officers in Chicago."
"The time that we're in influenced the questions," says Lori Lightfoot, president of the Chicago Police Board.
Phil Cline, who served as Chicago police superintendent from 2003 to 2007, has advice for applicants.
"The important thing is being able to express those three things: how you're going to fight crime, how you're going to do community policing and how you're going to keep the morale of the department up," he says.
Cline says the person chosen as Chicago's new superintendent must have a comprehensive crime-fighting strategy ready. He says an insider would be the best person for the job.
"They just got a leg up on someone coming from outside who doesn't know the difference between Lakeview and Englewood," Cline says.
Cline also says the new superintendent must learn who the real stakeholders are in the community so he or she can work with them each day, to make the community better.
