[in person] Chicago Police Department Superintendent Public Hearing

Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability

Criminal Justice

Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023
6:00 p.m. CDT

1852 W 19th St, Chicago, Illinois 60608 Chicago, IL 60608 (Directions)

National Museum of Mexican Art

We expect this to be an in-person event with (though we will update you if a livestream option is confirmed). If you attend this meeting in person, you will receive an additional hour of pay.

Mayor Brandon Johnson selected Larry Snelling from a shortlist of potential CPD superintendents created by the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability. The appointment must be approved by City Council, following at least one public hearing, at which members of the public will have the opportunity to ask questions about the selection of Snelling.

Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Chicago - IL Documenters Team

Note-taking by Ebony Ellis

Chicagoans got their chance to address Larry Snelling — Mayor Brandon Johnson’s pick for the next superintendent of the Chicago Police Department

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Live reporting by Ahmad Sayles

Chicagoans got their chance to address Larry Snelling — Mayor Brandon Johnson’s pick for the next superintendent of the Chicago Police Department

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles

Good Evening! I’ll be live-tweeting the Chicago Police Department Superintendent Public Hearing for @CHIdocumenters #CHIdocumenters. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.

05:49 PM Sep 7, 2023 CDT

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 2/20

The Chicago Police Department Superintendent Public Hearing is taking place at the National Museum of Mexican Art. The public hearing in Pilsen is the first for CPD Chief Snelling, who was nominated for superintendent.

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 3/20

Chicago City Council’s Police and Fire Committee rescheduled their vote on Chief Snelling’s appointment so that the candidate could field questions from the public.

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 4/20

The hearing is called to order. A roll call to establish a quorum is met. Approval of the minutes of the July meeting passes.

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 5/20

President of the CCPSA, Anthony Driver introduces new business. The CCPSA plans to introduce an order to eliminate CPD’s gang database. 95% of people on the gang database were people of color. Driver says his father was on the gang database despite never being involved in gangs.

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 6/20

Adoption of the amendment/order passes without objection. Next up is the town hall of CPD Chief Larry Snelling.

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 7/20

CCPSA Commissioner Driver says this hearing is the first of five. Each public speaker will be allowed two minutes to ask questions. The candidate will also receive questions from the commission.

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 8/20

Commission members are stating the reasons why Chief Snelling was their pick to head CPD. The Englewood native has been with the department for 28 years. They expect him to increase morale and clearance rates. Chief Snelling is the first candidate nominated by the CCPSA.

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 9/20

Chief Snelling gives a statement before fielding questions. He says the process was serious and made him a better candidate. Says he is humbled to be considered for the position of top cop.

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 10/20

Chief Snelling says that he is committed to the city and the officers of CPD. He wants cooperation between the department and the community to keep the city safe. He ends his statement and is ready to receive questions.

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 11/20

CCPSA Vice-President Gomez asks Chief Snelling if he will stand up to political pressure to right the wrongs of CPD in the past. Chief Snelling says that a true leader shouldn't be afraid of criticism.

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 12/20

Commissioner Loizon asks Chief Snelling what will be the strategy to bring down crime in the city. Chief Snelling says a factor in gang conflict in the city is driven by social media. He wants to use technology to come up with better solutions to crime & illegal guns.

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 13/20

Chief Snelling says that he will use more resources (officers) in high-crime areas. He says that the department has added 70 detectives to their ranks. Mayor Johnson has the goal of adding 200 detectives to help clearance rates.

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 14/20

Commissioner Terry asks Chief Snelling what would he need to be successful in his job. Chief Snelling says more money always helps but they will allocate money to the proper areas of the department to help bring crime down.

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 15/20

Commissioner Troncoso asked Chief Snelling how would he improve the process of reporting crime by citizens. Commissioner Troncoso says he knows someone who had a tough time reporting a car break-in and that incident broke trust.

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 16/20

Chief Snelling says that he will make it a point to the force to implore officers to address the concerns of citizens.

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 17/20

President Driver asked Chief Snelling what are his non-negotiables. Chief Snelling said his integrity and holding his officers accountable.

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 18/20

President Driver's last question to Chief Snelling is how going up on the southside prepared him for this position. He said his upbringing made him realize the community needs help to combat poverty, drug abuse, and lack of education.

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 19/20

Chief Snelling receives questions from the public. A member of the 2nd District Council says the police district won't give access to their roll call. Says a wall of defiance is up. Chief Snelling says that he will have a meeting with the District Councils to address concerns.

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 20/20

Another member of a District Council asks Chief Snelling to imagine a world without police & the carceral system. She said she wants true solutions to create a more peaceful society.

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Agency Information

Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability

www.chicago.gov

(312) 742-8888

See Documenters reporting

In July 2021, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance creating a new model for police oversight, accountability, and public safety. The ordinance creates two types of bodies: a citywide Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, with power to advance systemic reform, and District Councils, which will be elected in each police district and work to improve policing and public safety in the district. The Commission and District Councils will bring police officers and Chicago residents together to plan, prioritize, and build mutual trust; strengthen the police accountability system; give Chicagoans a meaningful new role in oversight; and explore and advance alternative effective approaches to public safety.

Additional context:

Dec. 20, 2021, issue of the Newswire newsletter with a timeline of events leading up to the establishment of CCPSA
List of CCPSA members
CCPSA bylaws
Chicago Cityscape map of police districts

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