CCPSA Launches Nationwide Search for New Superintendent – 2026

Date:

July 7, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 2, 2026

MEDIA CONTACT:

Nicole Garcia

Nicole.Garcia@cityofchicago.org

COMMUNITY COMMISSION FOR PUBLIC SAFETY AND ACCOUNTABILITY TO
LAUNCH NATIONWIDE SEARCH FOR NEW CHICAGO POLICE SUPERINTENDENT

CHICAGO, IL – The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability
(CCPSA) will launch a nationwide search for the next Superintendent of the Chicago
Police Department, following yesterday’s announcement that Superintendent Larry
Snelling will retire effective July 15th
.

In 2023, the CCPSA led the search that culminated in the appointment of
Superintendent Snelling. Since then, the Commission has worked collaboratively with
the Superintendent, including in setting annual goals for the Superintendent and the
department that have advanced key initiatives like improving investigations, improving
services for crime victims, developing and implementing a community policing model,
strengthening alternative response systems, and developing a structure and framework
for better collaboration between CPD members, the Commission, and Chicago’s elected
District Councils. The Commission thanks Superintendent Snelling for his decades of
service to the people of Chicago and for his partnership in advancing these important
reforms. We wish him the very best in his retirement.

“Superintendent Snelling was the right person at the right time for our city,” said CCPSA
President Remel Terry. “As the Commission begins the process to identify the next
superintendent, we are fully committed to conducting a thorough and transparent
process and to finding a visionary and effective leader to ensure the safety and
well-being of all residents of this city.”

The CCPSA is required by ordinance to conduct a nationwide search, recruit
candidates, review applications, perform background checks, conduct interviews, and,
within 120 days of Superintendent Snelling’s departure, select three finalists to present
to the Mayor. The Mayor must then select a Superintendent from among the
Commission’s three finalists, or reject the finalists and get a new list of finalists from the
Commission. The Mayor may only select a Superintendent from a list provided by the
Commission.

To facilitate this process, the CCPSA will hold at least four public hearings across the
city, at which members of the public can provide recommendations to inform the
selection of Superintendent candidates. At least one hearing will be held on the North
Side, South Side, and West Side of Chicago, to ensure that residents from all areas of
the city have a chance to participate. The Commission will also engage deeply to seek
input from Chicago police officers and local and national experts on policing and public
safety.

“The CCPSA was created to ensure that people across the city have a strong voice in
shaping our public safety systems, and the selection process will be guided by that
goal,” said President Terry. “We look forward to working with stakeholders across the
city and experts across the country to select the next leader of the department.”

The Commission will provide regular updates on the search process and ensure that the
public is informed and engaged throughout the process. Updates on the search process
will be posted to the CCPSA website and given at the Commission’s monthly public
meetings on the last Thursday of each month.

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