Head of the Chicago Police Department to retire after 3 years in the
position
[July 02, 2026]
CHICAGO (AP) — The head of the Chicago Police Department
announced on Wednesday that he will retire after a short tenure leading
the nation's second-largest police force.
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling took the reins of the
12,000-officer department three years ago as it was dealing with a mixed
bag of crime. He touted the need for innovation and increasing trust
between police and the community, as well as finding ways to tamp down
violent crime.
Murders and shootings, which are typically the focal points for crime in
Chicago, have fluctuated over the last few years, but so far they are
down this year by 32% and 41%, respectively, compared to 2023, according
to the most recent department crime statistics.
“I am closing out this chapter of my life with a heart full of gratitude
for every Chicagoan and every community partner who embraced me during
my time at the Chicago Police Department,” he said in a statement, which
did not say exactly what prompted his reason to retire.
The superintendent’s job is a notoriously difficult one, and many past
heads of Chicago police have lasted only a few years amid pressure from
interest groups, including the local police union.
Snelling led the department through a tumultuous period in which
hundreds of National Guard troops were deployed to the city as part of
President Donald Trump ’s immigration crackdown in various cities with
Democratic leadership.
He was faced with maintaining public safety while also avoiding
appearing to work hand-in-hand with federal immigration authorities — a
stance that could erode community trust and ignite new protests.
In 2024, he helped prepare the nation's third-largest city for the
Democratic National Convention in which then-Vice President Kamala
Harris officially accepted the party’s nomination.
Officers underwent constitutional policing and de-escalation training
and a smaller group of officers received specialized instruction on
responding to civil unrest and riots.
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Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling watches a march to the
Democratic National Convention Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon,File)
He also led the department as it worked to comply with a
court-monitored department overhaul plan, known as a consent decree,
that was approved by a federal judge in 2019. The plan called for
more community policing and expanded training on the use of force,
among other things, in the wake of a U.S. Justice Department report
that found deep-rooted civil rights abuses in Chicago’s force.
“We’re grateful for Superintendent Snelling’s dedicated leadership
and the work we’ve accomplished together to advance a community
safety strategy rooted in strong partnerships and deep community
engagement across Chicago,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a
statement.
Snelling, who grew up on the city's South Side, joined the police
department in 1992 as a patrol officer, the mayor said. He later
served as the department’s counterterrorism chief.
In 2023, the City Council unanimously confirmed him as the city’s
police superintendent.
Snelling will retire July 15. Fred Waller will serve as interim
superintendent while the search for Snelling's replacement is
carried out, Johnson said.
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