CHICAGO () — Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling is marking his final day in the role Wednesday, closing out a long career with the department and a high-profile tenure as the city’s top cop.
At City Hall on Wednesday morning, several members of the Chicago City Council praised Snelling’s leadership, offering warm remarks about the outgoing superintendent as he prepares to step away from the Chicago Police Department’s top post.
Snelling was appointed superintendent in 2023 after building a respected, decades-long career within CPD, rising through the ranks before taking command of one of the nation’s largest police departments.
His time leading Chicago police included a stretch in which violent crime figures reached record lows, along with the department’s major public safety operation for the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
Supporters point to the steady year-over-year decline in Chicago’s crime rate during Snelling’s tenure as one of the defining pieces of his legacy.
Before becoming superintendent, Snelling spent more than 30 years serving in the Chicago Police Department.
His previous roles included chief of the Bureau of Counterterrorism and commander of the 7th District in Englewood, the South Side community where he grew up.
Across Chicago, Snelling has earned a reputation as a widely respected figure, drawing support from both fellow officers and community members.
In a statement, Snelling said he’s closing this chapter, “with a heart full of gratitude.”
Aldermen said there’s a lot to celebrate about the work he’s done and more to improve on and look for in the next leader.
“I do think the reduction of violent crime in the city is something that must be acknowledged,” Alderman Byron Sigcho Lopez said. “Often times we don’t hear those things. The reduction of violent crime and homicides I think is a reflection of the partnership that we could have when we work together. Also, I think the work we need to do to prevent young people to be out there doing these team takeovers. This is a national issue and I think we need to do more to get to the root causes of that.”
“He was a great leader,,” Alderman William Hall said. “A man I could call a true role model. He modeled humility, empathy, compassion, and that’s why the numbers are down because he led from his heart. He’s used his hands to build neighborhoods and so we have a gap to fill. One in which again he set a standard that will never be repeated in the history of Chicago.”
Speaking one-on-one with the I-Team this past December, Snelling described his successful approach to leadership, working across different bureaus.
“It’s a combination of this: my philosophy of top-down effect, not bottom-up, that the leadership has to be held accountable, and then the message coming from the top is now spread across the entirety of the city of Chicago with our Chicago police officers, that this is our focus to make sure that we’re protecting people in the city, and this is how we do it,” Snelling said. “And we train our officers to do it, and make sure that they’re following the rules. They’re policing constitutionally, which now helps us build trust in the community.”
Now, the nationwide search is on for CPD’s next superintendent. Fred Waller will serve as interim superintendent in the meantime.
