The Chicago Police Board will take its next step forward in the search for a new police superintendent Wednesday, as the board will hold a public meeting to nominate three candidates for the vacant position.
The position, held on an interim basis by former Los Angeles Police Superintendent Charlie Beck since former Superintendent Eddie Johnson was relieved of his duties in Dec. 2019, could soon be filled as the board prepares to narrow down its search to three nominees.
The meeting, which will be held Wednesday at 4 p.m., is open to the public and will be conducted via audio conference as a result of the “stay-at-home” order issued by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The public is invited to listen to the call, and those interested in participating in the public forum portion of the meeting can sign up by calling 312-742-4194 or by emailing Carisa.Boatman@cityofchicago.org up to 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting.
The police board accepted applications until Jan. 13 for the position. The board has been interviewing candidates since that date, and will submit three finalists to Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office and to the Chicago City Council. Lightfoot will ultimately pick her preferred candidate for the position, and the City Council will vote on approval at that time.
Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel did not pick one of the police board’s three candidates when he selected Johnson for the role in 2016.
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Johnson was removed from office in early December after what Lightfoot called a “series of ethical lapses.” Johnson was found asleep behind the wheel of his car in Oct. 2019, and according to Lightfoot Johnson “intentionally lied to” her on several occasions after the incident.
After initially blaming the incident on a change in blood pressure medication, Johnson later admitted to Lightfoot that he had been drinking on the night of the incident. Johnson opened an investigation into the incident, which remains ongoing.
