Overview
- Snelling announced his decision to retire on Wednesday and said his final day will be July 15, ending a 34-year career with the Chicago Police Department.
- Mayor Brandon Johnson named veteran Fred Waller as interim superintendent to lead the roughly 12,000-officer force after Snelling steps down.
- The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability must conduct a national search and deliver three finalists to the mayor within 120 days of July 15, after which the mayor has 30 days to act.
- Police data and reporting credit Snelling’s three-year tenure with a sharp drop in homicides from 623 in 2023 to 416 in 2025 and with managing major operations such as 2024 DNC security.
- Observers warn the timing raises political and operational challenges because the CPD faces a thin internal bench, union tensions, ongoing consent-decree compliance, and pressure over whether Antoinette Ursitti or an outside candidate will be chosen.