The deadline for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to select a police superintendent is Sunday, after having close to a month to choose between three finalists.
Johnson was presented with the three finalists — Shon Barnes, Angel Novalez, and Larry Snelling — on July 14. The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability said Johnson had 30 days to either select one of the three or request a new pool of candidates.
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Angel Novales and Larry Snelling are both Chicago police veterans. Novales is the chief of constitutional policing and Snelling serves as the counterterrorism chief. Barnes is the chief of police in Madison, Wisconsin, and previously worked as the director of training and development at the Civilian Office of Police Accountability for Chicago.
If Johnson selects Barnes, Novales, or Snelling, they have to be approved by the Chicago City Council, which has 60 days to confirm him.
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Currently, Fred Waller is serving as interim superintendent while the search process plays out. He is the Chicago police’s third police chief in less than six months. Former Supt. Eric Carter, who Waller replaced, stepped down following Johnson’s inauguration on May 15. In February, Carter replaced former Supt. David Brown, who resigned after former Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her reelection bid.
The selection of a police superintendent will be one of Johnson’s most critical moves as he works to establish a relationship with law enforcement and police unions that did not support him in the general election. Law enforcement figures and leaders had expressed concern that Johnson’s comprehensive approach to crime would result in higher crime rates and unsafe streets.
