CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson said during his campaign he wanted to choose a CPD veteran to lead the department with Sunday as the deadline to make his decision.

The mayor can pick one of the three finalists or reject all three and order another search.

Two of the finalists are CPD veterans, Larry Snelling and Angel Novalez. Shon Barnes is the current police chief of Madison, Wisconsin.

Snelling has been with the police department for 30 years and is considered the front runner. As chief of counterterrorism, he oversees SWAT, narcotics and gang division. He is also the former commander of the Englewood division.

Agent Novales is a 22-year veteran who was shot in the line of duty early in his career. He is currently chief of constitutional policing and reform. He oversaw community-assisted programs for many years.

Shon Barnes took the helm in Madison in 2021. He was previously director of training for COPA, Civilian Office of Police Accountability which investigates complaints against officers and officer-involved shootings.

Barnes has worked at two police departments in North Carolina.

More than 50 candidates applied for the job before the Community Commissions Republic Safety and Accountability narrowed it down to the three options.

Mayor Johnson’s pick will replace David Brown, Dallas’ former police chief. Brown resigned in March after Lori Lightfoot lost her reelection bid.

Violent crime stands as a major challenge facing the new superintendent as voter polls stating it as a city’s top issue.

Data from the inspector general’s office shows the city has lost about 1,500 officers since 2019.

It is unclear how the mayor plans to announce his choice and his candidate would have to be confirmed by the city council.