Community Commission selects Chicago police superintendent finalists
Chicago, IL – Shon Barnes, Angel Novalez and Larry Snelling were nominated by the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) as the next superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD) on July 13 at Kennedy King College in the Englewood neighborhood. The Commission selected these three from 54 applicants through a 120-day process after the resignation of Superintendent David Brown, who was appointed by Mayor Lightfoot.
The current selection process is unprecedented because Mayor Brandon Johnson can only appoint from among the candidates nominated by the CCPSA. The CCPSA was created by the Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) ordinance.
“ECPS established the most democratic police accountability system in the country. The movement will continue to fight for control over the CPD budget, hiring and firing the superintendent of police and members of the police board, and the power to negotiate contracts with the police union,” said Frank Chapman, executive director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.
“Today marks a historic milestone in Chicago’s journey towards enhanced civilian oversight and effective law enforcement,” said Anthony Driver, president of the CCPSA.
The meeting began with public comments, during which organizers in the police accountability and anti-violence movement spoke. Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara, who had over 50 misconduct complaints against him as a CPD officer before he resigned in 2021, also spoke.
Some speakers, including Catanzara, advocated for Snelling or Novalez because they both come from the Chicago Police Department. Others cited corruption within CPD as a reason to hire an outsider like Barnes. Some public comments said nothing in favor of or against any candidates but spoke to the need for consistent community activity in holding police accountable.
“I’ve been living in Englewood for 60 years. Chicago police have always done the same thing,” said community organizer Billie House. “The whole system is rotten. It needs to be cleaned out.”
Ariana Correa, one of the members of the CCPSA’s Noncitizens Advisory Council, spoke about the recent sexual assault of Venezuelan asylum seekers in the 10th District police station. “We demand swift justice and transparency in this matter. Every officer who committed this crime or helped cover it up needs to be fired and prosecuted, and we need policy changes to prevent incidents like this in the future.”
“I appreciate the work the Commission put into this process. At the same time, this Commission only exists because communities fought for it,” said Kobi Guillory, co-chair of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR). He urged community members to keep attending CCPSA meetings, as well as meetings of their local Police District Councils to ensure these bodies work to hold police accountable to the community and move towards full community control of the police.