Recommendations for next Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.
On the afternoon of Wednesday, April 1, the Chicago Police Board is scheduled to officially announce its three finalists for the position of Chicago Police Superintendent.
A vacancy created by the December 2019 dismissal of Eddie Johnson, this appointment places Mayor Lightfoot in a uniquely complicated position. Prior to becoming mayor, Ms. Lightfoot served as president of the Police Board. As Board president, Lightfoot publicly complained after Chicago’s former mayor, Rahm Emanuel, bypassed the Police Board and ignored Chicago Municipal Code by signing a one-off ordinance to appoint Eddie Johnson superintendent in 2016. Now mayor herself, Ms. Lightfoot is perhaps privately expressing regret for protesting Emanuel’s actions for the reason Ms. Lightfoot has been presented three candidates, all of whom are arguably weaker than the nominees advanced to Emanuel by the Board four years ago.
Assuming Ms. Lightfoot opts against extending the stay of Interim Superintendent Charlie Beck and insisting the Police Board start the search for a superintendent anew, there are several requirements for the new superintendent to fulfill to gain the trust of the rank and file and to survive through the summer of 2020. A summer that will likely be remembered as the post-COVID-19 crime wave, the new superintendent will be confronted with a city that responded to a global pandemic by emptying jails and issuing citations over arresting criminals. Combine emptied jails and ticket-over-arrest policies with a feckless Cook County State’s Attorney and Chicago is left with millions of citizens wondering if there is still time to vote for law and order politicians or if they should simply move out of Chicago.
To meet the challenges of the role of Superintendent and to best serve the City of Chicago, communication will be of vital importance to become an effective leader. Years of secret “merit” promotions, surprise changes to schedules and major policy decisions without the input of the rank and file has resulted in a culture of secrecy on the 5th floor of police headquarters. This is a culture police officers utterly detest. Emanuel-era communications czar Anthony Guglielmi’s recently announced departure will allow the next Superintendent to change the culture entirely from secrecy and spin to conversation and engagement. With a greater emphasis placed on community policing, now would be the relevant time for the new superintendent to acknowledge that police officers are part of the community. To sweep away the culture of mystery consuming the Department, it will be worthwhile to include officials with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) and the Police Benevolent and Protective Association (PBPA) on decision-making, particularly on all major policy decisions. Even if a final decision has been reached without involving all parties, providing officers notice of any change to working conditions prior to the information being released to the press or announced by the mayor is the right way to earn trust and gain confidence from those to whom the decisions impact the most. Loyalty and trust go both ways.
Second, it is of crucial importance the new Superintendent become acquainted with the Chicago Police Department. NYPD veteran and former CPD Superintendent Garry McCarthy arrived in 2011 with big ideas and no seeming interest in understanding how and why things were done in Chicago. His misunderstandings led to, for example, sergeants being reprimanded like children at CompStat meetings, competition between units that had previously worked in harmony and the closure of two detective stations without any realized benefit. A push to incorporate detectives into District stations “NYPD-style” moved forward without addressing the vast differences between the two departments and resulted with most detectives returning to their original buildings, with 40 percent less space. A more amiable but still outsider Charlie Beck recently floated a new CPD organizational chart that looks suspiciously close to the Los Angeles Police Department’s institutional framework. To become a successful leader of the Department, it is of paramount importance for the next Superintendent to do what McCarthy and Beck never appeared to have the patience for: Meeting with competent, veteran officers and requesting their input and viewpoints in regard to the differences and nuances of the Chicago Police Department. The City of Chicago and the Chicago Police Department both have identities wholly and uniquely their own and veteran officers possess a special knowledge of the city and the Department. If the new Superintendent recognizes the city’s and the Department’s unique qualities and what separates it from New York and Los Angeles, Ms. Lightfoot and the next Superintendent will avoid spending precious time cleaning up after costly mistakes such as closing Detective stations and a broken CompStat system.
Third, it is essential the new Superintendent express consistent and firm objection to Department members engaging in romantic relationships with subordinates. It may sound obvious, yet every CPD officer reading is likely nodding their head acknowledging it happens and it is wrong, whether it occurs between unmarried or married Department employees. When an office relationship takes place, a boundary is erased, and this leads to an erosion of respect for authority. A professional leader understands that choices have consequences, and that tonight’s date can easily be tomorrow’s Complaint Register number or lawsuit. Along with addressing professional behavior within the Department, it is also of great importance the next Superintendent reject the cultivation of relationships with known members of Chicago’s anti-police movement. Many involved with this movement hold police with contempt, yet under the previous superintendent, relationships with key members of this group thrived. Chicago’s anti-police group is opposed to law and order; they are known for violent confrontations with the CPD; and they are at odds with the Department’s goal of keeping neighborhoods safe. The new Superintendent should show no solidarity with anti-police activists.
Fourth, it is imperative the next Superintendent demand support and maturity from Mayor Lightfoot. Each of the three final candidates selected by the Police Board is likely aware they were chosen amid very poor competition among applicants. This should be used to the next Superintendent’s advantage by showing some degree of independence. Instead of becoming a doormat for the mayor, the next head of the CPD should privately insist Mayor Lightfoot stop using the CPD for unprofessional and unhelpful attacks on President Trump (Eddie Johnson’s protest of Trump’s IACP speech) and on federal law enforcement agencies carrying out their duties. The criticism of President Trump and the clashes with Immigration and Custom Enforcement harm the relationship Chicago Police have with federal partners by driving a wedge between those federal agencies and state and local law enforcement. It would also be meaningful for the next Superintendent to voice opposition to the city’s bizarre embrace of the anti-police Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability (GAPA) plan for police “reform.” GAPA’s outlandish plan for “reform” is more interested in debilitating police than it is interested in accountability and oversight. As Chicago approaches summer and COVID-19 evaporates, Mayor Lightfoot is going to wish her biggest problem was placating the extreme Left that helped her win the mayor’s race, because her real problem is going to be surging violent crime rates. Most Chicagoans have common sense and won’t tolerate a Leftist ideology when they see it puts the lives of their neighbors at risk. And doing what’s right for Chicago in the days and months to come means embracing the Chicago Police Department.
Last, it is of fundamental importance the next Superintendent emphasize to the mayor the gravity of the Department managing the discipline of officers. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) and the Police Board must be put on notice that the Superintendent is in charge of discipline. Having COPA and a single member of the Police Board overrule the Superintendent’s decision on discipline is simply absurd. Fixing the disaster that is the Chicago Police Department’s accountability system will require time. Arbitration is certain to get officers closer to a fair system, but Mayor Lightfoot needs to send a robust message to the Police Board and COPA that in the meantime she demands professionalism and justice, not what accused officers have experienced in recent years. To avoid the kangaroo court we’ve witnessed these past few years means mayoral appointees to the Police Board must understand that Lightfoot expects her Superintendent’s decision on the discipline of officers to be final and without interference from civilian oversight panels or politically motivated investigative bodies.
Following these five steps might just get the new Superintendent through their first summer, whoever they may be.
