Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling announced he will step down July 15 after more than 30 years with the Chicago Police Department and nearly three years as top cop. Mayor Brandon Johnson said veteran Fred Waller will serve as acting superintendent d
When Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling walked away from the role he has held since August 2023, it did not sound like a sudden departure—it sounded like a decision that had been building for months.
Snelling announced Wednesday that he will retire July 15. stepping down after more than 30 years with the Chicago Police Department and nearly three years as the city’s top cop. Mayor Brandon Johnson said Fred Waller will again serve as acting police superintendent while the city searches for Snelling’s replacement.
Johnson introduced Snelling as the next leader of the Chicago Police Department in August 2023. describing him as a “son of Englewood” with decades of experience policing Chicago streets. During Snelling’s tenure, murders fell to historic lows, and the Democratic National Convention largely went off without a hitch. He also had to navigate the unprecedented deployment of federal agents across Chicago during Operation Midway Blitz.
But beneath the record of public-facing operations, there was friction. Sources described tensions that alienated Snelling behind the scenes, and said he was determined to leave before the mayoral election.
City Council members said Snelling was unhappy with Johnson’s decision to use each of his three city budgets to shrink the department by attrition—and feared it could happen again. In Snelling’s world. where staffing levels can shape everything from patrol coverage to how quickly the department responds to a surge in calls. the difference between planned change and ongoing attrition can feel like a slow tightening of the belt.
The personnel shuffle is already underway in the way Chicago leadership often works: with an acting superintendent in place and a search for a permanent replacement. For now. Waller steps in as the bridge figure—while the question of what comes next for the department’s strategy. staffing. and internal culture hangs over the search timeline.
Larry Snelling Chicago Police Department Brandon Johnson Fred Waller acting police superintendent police chief retirement Operation Midway Blitz Chicago City Hall attrition budget