Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown announced Wednesday that Deputy Supt. Barbara West, the third-highest ranking sworn member of the department, informed him that she plans to retire after 26 years on the force.
West, according to a press release from the department, became the highest-ranking Black woman in CPD history earlier this year when she was appointed to head the Office of Constitutional Policing and Reform.
“Under her leadership, our department has made significant strides toward implementing meaningful and sustainable reform, and she helped establish the framework that will carry our vision for reform into the future,” Brown said in a statement. “I want to thank Deputy Supt. West for her steadfast commitment to this department and the city of Chicago, and to wish her well in her retirement.”
West’s purview in the department also included the Administrative Support, Reform Management and Training and Support divisions and groups, according to the department’s website.
She is just the latest high-ranking Chicago police official to retire in recent months. Chicago Police Chief Fred Waller announced his retirement from the department in August, while First Deputy Supt. Anthony Riccio retired on Aug. 1 after more than 34 years on the force.
