CHICAGO (WLS) — Wednesday marks the final day at work for Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling.
City Council members gathered Wednesday morning to express their admiration for the departing police chief.
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Snelling, who took on the superintendent role in 2023, had carved out a commendable path within the ranks of the Chicago police.
During his leadership, he managed the department during a time when violent crime rates were at an all-time low and directed security efforts at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
The city experienced a yearly decline in crime rates throughout his tenure, a trend that many credit to his effective leadership.
Snelling served more than 30 years with CPD, before becoming top cop.
He was also the prior chief of the Bureau of Counterterrorism and served as commander of the 7th District in his native Englewood.
He’s well-liked across the city, from peers and community members alike.
In a statement, Snelling said he’s closing this chapter, “with a heart full of gratitude.”
Aldermen said there’s a lot to celebrate about the work he’s done and more to improve on and look for in the next leader.
“I do think the reduction of violent crime in the city is something that must be acknowledged,” Alderman Byron Sigcho Lopez said. “Often times we don’t hear those things. The reduction of violent crime and homicides I think is a reflection of the partnership that we could have when we work together. Also, I think the work we need to do to prevent young people to be out there doing these team takeovers. This is a national issue and I think we need to do more to get to the root causes of that.”
“He was a great leader,,” Alderman William Hall said. “A man I could call a true role model. He modeled humility, empathy, compassion, and that’s why the numbers are down because he led from his heart. He’s used his hands to build neighborhoods and so we have a gap to fill. One in which again he set a standard that will never be repeated in the history of Chicago.”
Speaking one-on-one with the I-Team this past December, Snelling described his successful approach to leadership, working across different bureaus.
“It’s a combination of this: my philosophy of top-down effect, not bottom-up, that the leadership has to be held accountable, and then the message coming from the top is now spread across the entirety of the city of Chicago with our Chicago police officers, that this is our focus to make sure that we’re protecting people in the city, and this is how we do it,” Snelling said. “And we train our officers to do it, and make sure that they’re following the rules. They’re policing constitutionally, which now helps us build trust in the community.”
Now, the nationwide search is on for CPD’s next superintendent. Fred Waller will serve as interim superintendent in the meantime.
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