HOW CHICAGO MAYOR RAHM EMANUAL NAMES NEW TOP COP! (2122 hits)
Chicago's mayor will appoint a new interim police superintendent to lead the embattled department on Monday -- an officer who was not among three recommendations made by the city's Police Board.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel will appoint Eddie Johnson, Chicago police chief of patrol, as the interim superintendent, the mayor's office said. The announcement is slated for Monday afternoon.
The Police Board, which had recommended three candidates for the job, did not immediately comment on Emanuel's pick.
The mayor's selection is from outside the recommended candidates, but his office said Emanuel spent months talking to officers, residents and community leaders before making his decision.
"With the help of their feedback, the mayor is confident that Eddie Johnson is the right person at the right time to fight crime, lift morale in the police department, and build on the work that's been done to restore trust and accountability in the police department," the mayor's office said in a statement.
The police board had named three finalists -- Cedric Alexander, DeKalb County, Georgia, public safety director; former Spokane, Washington, Police chief Anne Kirkpatrick; and Chicago Police Deputy Superintendent Eugene Williams.
With Johnson, Emanuel is going with a hire from inside the department but not the inside candidate the board has suggested.
Johnson has been with the Chicago Police Department since 1988, the mayor's office said.
