CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Chicago's new police superintendent is promising to collaborate with people in the neighborhoods in order to combat crime.
He suggests that his decisions about the department will be his own.
After being sworn in during the City Council meeting that confirmed him, Police Superintendent Larry Snelling joined Mayor Brandon Johnson for a news conference. He made a point to thank the Mayor for being a good listener.
"I thank you for listening. I thank you for hearing me, and I thank you, that even as the mayor of Chicago when you don't have to, you listen," Snelling said.
He also seemed to make his independence clear.
"As the superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, I have a job to do. I also understand that the mayor has a job to do, and I'm going to support the mayor in the job that he's doing. At the same time, in order for me to support the mayor, I have to be the superintendent of police," Snelling added.
The mayor stood by Snelling's side, praising Snelling as a compassionate leader who is not soft.
"There is nothing that is soft about the City of Chicago. Every part of us leads with collaborative collaboration, with competence and compassion. That's who Larry Snelling is," Johnson said.
Later, at the news conference, the new top cop promised to go hard on the wave of armed robberies that swept through the North and West Sides this past weekend.
"We have to utilize technology to make sure that we're able to track these individuals. We also have to look at crews, repeat offenders, and we have to now start talking, collaborating with our lawmakers in order to hold people accountable for these type of violent crimes," Snelling said.
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