Alderman Anthony A. Beale
“With just nine months until Chicago elects its next mayor, now is not the time to rush the appointment of a permanent Police Superintendent. The city’s focus should be on stability, continuity of operations, and maintaining public safety — not creating the likelihood that Chicago will have two different police superintendents within the span of a single year.
Interim Superintendent Fred Waller is a respected, experienced law enforcement leader who has already demonstrated he can provide steady leadership during periods of transition. Allowing him to continue serving through the mayoral election would ensure continuity for the Chicago Police Department while giving the next mayor—whether it is Mayor Brandon Johnson or a newly elected mayor—the opportunity to select a permanent superintendent who can implement and be accountable for that administration’s long-term public safety agenda.
This is not about personalities or politics. It is about good governance. Across the country, interim police chiefs are routinely relied upon to provide stable leadership during periods of transition and are frequently praised for maintaining continuity while elected leaders determine the department’s long-term direction. Chicago already has an experienced interim superintendent who has demonstrated he can lead the department. Rather than spending months on a permanent appointment that could be revisited almost immediately after the election, the City should preserve stability today and allow the mayor chosen by Chicago voters next spring to make one of the most consequential appointments of the next administration. That approach respects taxpayers, promotes continuity, and honors the democratic process.Chicago itself has followed this model before. In 2023, then Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson appointed Fred Waller to serve as interim superintendent while a national search was conducted for a
permanent leader. Interim appointments have likewise been used during previous leadership transitions to ensure continuity while broader decisions were made about the future direction of the department.
Under Chicago law, the Police Superintendent serves at the pleasure of the mayor. As a result, a newly elected mayor has both the authority and the responsibility to choose the individual who will lead one of the nation’s largest police departments and carry out that administration’s public safety priorities.
Launching a lengthy national search, vetting finalists, conducting public meetings, obtaining Police Board recommendations and City Council confirmation, and installing a permanent superintendent only months before a new mayor takes office risks unnecessary disruption, uncertainty within the department, and the possibility that the process—and its costs—will have to begin again almost immediately after the election. That is neither efficient nor fair to taxpayers, police officers, nor the residents of Chicago.
The prudent course is clear: maintain stable leadership under Interim Superintendent Fred Waller through the election and allow the mayor chosen by Chicago voters next spring to make the permanent appointment. That approach provides continuity for the Chicago Police Department, gives the next administration the opportunity to build its own public safety leadership team from day one, and ensures that one of the most important appointments in city government reflects the mandate of Chicago’s voters rather than the final months of an outgoing administration.”
