Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling is set to retire Wednesday after more than three decades with the department and a short tenure leading the nation’s second-largest police force.
“…Once you know it’s time to go, then it’s time to move on, and then it’s time to allow someone else to come up and fill these shoes and sit in this seat and work the hardest that they can to continue to make progress for the department and the city,” Snelling said in a Chicago Tribune interview published Tuesday.
Snelling took the reins of the 12,000-officer department in 2023, after being appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson following a nationwide search. At the time, Chicago was dealing with a mixed bag of crime, with Snelling touting the need innovation and increasing trust between police and the community, as well as finding ways to tamp down violent crime.
“Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to give back to the city I love through different assignments across the department. I must also thank Mayor Brandon Johnson for choosing me to serve the residents of Chicago and to lead the heroic men and women of the Chicago Police Department,” he said in a statement announcing his retirement on July 1.
Snelling led the department through a tumultuous period in which federal agents were deployed to the city as part of President Donald Trump ’s immigration crackdown. He was faced with maintaining public safety while also avoiding appearing to work hand-in-hand with federal immigration authorities.
Snelling, a 28-year veteran of the department who previously served as the head of CPD’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, also helped Chicago prepare for the Democratic National Convention in 2024.
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.
“During the past three years, I have had the privilege to lead this department through the 2024 Democratic National Convention and a record-low reduction in shootings, homicides and violent crime,” Snelling’s July 1 statement said. “While this happened during my tenure as Superintendent, the hard and courageous work of the members of the Chicago Police Department should be given the credit. Though I am proud of what we have achieved, there is more to be done, and I am confident that we created a foundation for further progress.”
Murders and shootings 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.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson thanked Snelling for his service in a public statement sent out July 1.
“Superintendent Snelling has dedicated 34 years to serving the people of Chicago. We thank him for his unwavering commitment to the Chicago Police Department and wish him the best in his next chapter,” he said.
Fred Waller, who served as the department’s interim superintendent during the prior search, will again serve as CPD’s interim superintendent when Snelling retires, Johnson said. Waller, a 34-year veteran of the force, rose through the ranks of the department to chief of patrol, chief of operations and then third in command.
According to Johnson, the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability will spearhead the search for Snelling’s replacement in coming weeks. Some have questioned the timing of events, which comes months before the next Chicago mayoral election, set for February 2027.
“The timing is fraught, Mayor Johnson,” David Greising, President of the Chicago-based government watchdog group Better Government Association said. “It…is the middle of a mayoral contest by the time he will be receiving the nominees…the appointment of a police superintendent is one of the most important decisions a Chicago mayor makes. And to be making that decision really as the mayoral campaign is heating up in November will be tricky for mayor Johnson.”
Snelling, who grew up on the city’s South Side, joined the police department in 1992 as a patrol officer, the mayor said. In 2023, the City Council unanimously confirmed him as the city’s police superintendent.
“Leadership may transition, but our commitment to building safe communities and serving our residents with care and compassion does not,” Johnson’s statement said. “As we continue through the summer, the structures, coordination, and partnerships that drive our community safety efforts remain firmly in place. Keeping Chicagoans safe remains our highest priority, and residents can be confident that the comprehensive summer safety plan already underway will continue without interruption.”
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