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CHICAGO — <\/span>The head of the Chicago Police Department announced on Wednesday that he will retire after a short tenure leading the nation’s second-largest police force.<\/p>\n Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling<\/a> took the reins of the 12,000-officer department three years ago as it was dealing with a mixed bag of crime. He touted the need for innovation and increasing trust between police and the community, as well as finding ways to tamp down violent crime.<\/p>\n Murders and shootings, which are typically the focal points for crime in Chicago, have fluctuated over the last few years, but so far they are down this year by 32% and 41%, respectively, compared to 2023, according to the most recent department crime statistics. <\/p>\n \u201cI am closing out this chapter of my life with a heart full of gratitude for every Chicagoan and every community partner who embraced me during my time at the Chicago Police Department,\u201d he said in a statement, which did not say exactly what prompted his reason to retire.<\/p>\n The superintendent\u2019s job is a notoriously difficult one, and many past heads of Chicago police have lasted only a few years amid pressure from interest groups, including the local police union.<\/p>\n Snelling led the department through a tumultuous period<\/a> in which hundreds of National Guard troops were deployed to the city as part of President Donald Trump<\/a> \u2019s immigration crackdown in various cities with Democratic leadership. <\/p>\n He was faced with maintaining public safety while also avoiding appearing to work hand-in-hand with federal immigration authorities<\/a> \u2014 a stance that could erode community trust and ignite new protests<\/a>.<\/p>\n In 2024, he helped prepare the nation’s third-largest city<\/a> for the Democratic National Convention in which then-Vice President Kamala Harris officially accepted the party\u2019s nomination.<\/p>\n Officers underwent constitutional policing and de-escalation training and a smaller group of officers received specialized instruction on responding to civil unrest and riots.<\/p>\n He also led the department as it worked to comply with a court-monitored department overhaul plan, known as a consent decree, that was approved by a federal judge in 2019. The plan called for more community policing and expanded training on the use of force, among other things, in the wake of a U.S. Justice Department report that found deep-rooted civil rights abuses in Chicago\u2019s force.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re grateful for Superintendent Snelling\u2019s dedicated leadership and the work we\u2019ve accomplished together to advance a community safety strategy rooted in strong partnerships and deep community engagement across Chicago,\u201d Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement.<\/p>\n Snelling, who grew up on the city’s South Side, joined the police department in 1992 as a patrol officer, the mayor said. He later served as the department\u2019s counterterrorism chief.<\/p>\n In 2023, the City Council unanimously confirmed him<\/a> as the city\u2019s police superintendent.<\/p>\n Snelling will retire July 15. Fred Waller will serve as interim superintendent while the search for Snelling’s replacement is carried out, Johnson said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n