CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson has selected Larry Snelling to be Chicago’s next top cop.

“Today, a new chapter begins in our journey to create a better, stronger and safer Chicago as Chief Larry Snelling has been charged to lead the Chicago Police Department,” Johnson said in a press release Sunday. “Chief Snelling is a proven leader who has the experience and the respect of his peers to help ensure the safety and well-being of city residents, and address the complex challenges we all face related to community safety.” 

After the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) confirmed its top three candidates to be considered for superintendent of the Chicago Police Department back on July 13, a 30-day clock started ticking for Johnson, who had until Sunday to make the appointment.

Here’s some background information on the man who is now set to be in charge of helping revitalize one of the country’s largest police forces:

Snelling is currently CPD’s Deputy Chief of Counterterrorism, a position he was promoted to back in Oct. 2022 after the surprise resignation of Ernest Cato III.

As deputy chief of counterterrorism, Snelling oversees CPD’s gang and narcotics units, as well as the department’s SWAT teams.

Snelling was also the architect behind CPD’s use-of-force policy, implemented as a part of the consent decree under the federal government’s oversight of the department.

Another notable facet of Snelling’s career, he was assigned to CPD’s training academy while holding the rank of sergeant, where he helped train new recruits.

Snelling, a born-and-raised South Side Chicagoan who graduated from Englewood High School, has been with the department for 31 years. Over three-plus decades, he’s built up significant rapport with Chicago police’s rank-and-file officers — as well as other ranking members of CPD — as he rose through the ranks of the department, which began with him being assigned to his home neighborhood as a patrol officer in 1992.

“It is a tremendous honor to answer the call to serve my hometown and the people of Chicago as superintendent of the Chicago Police Department,” Snelling said Sunday. “It is also a tremendous responsibility, and one that I do not take lightly.”  

With Snelling tapped as Johnson’s choice for CPD superintendent, the decision will now need to be approved by City Council.

The next scheduled general assembly meeting of the City Council is scheduled for Sept. 13.