CPD Supt.: 'Everyone has the right to enjoy the city'

Editor's note: This interview was produced before the Saturday 4/25/26 shootings at Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital.

“Everyone has the right to enjoy the city,” Chicago Police Department Supt. Larry Snelling said this of the teen takeover phenomenon. “Everyone has the right to walk around in any part of the city without having to worry about someone... attacking them.

Teen takeovers – events organized on social media where teens get together in unlawful, wild gatherings that often overwhelm authorities across the U.S. – are just one of the issues that Snelling discussed this week in an interview with Rob Hart for “At Issue” on WBBM Newsradio. The full interview premieres this Sunday.

Last year, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson vetoed a teen takeover-targeted proposal that would have let police impose a curfew with 30 minutes. Earlier this month, aldermen again considered options for cracking down on the gatherings, including potential fines for social media companies that don’t remove posts promoting the gatherings, which can effectively shut down parts of the city.

“If what you’re doing for fun is harming or disturbing someone else, then it’s not really fun,” Snelling said.

While the teen takeovers are a problem, Snelling touted overall falling crime rates in the city.

“When you look at violent crime, it’s still down,” he told Hart. “We've seen a slight uptake in shootings and homicides, which we’re focused on. And we’re making sure that we’re getting everyone involved that we need to have involved. Our detectives are out there and we’re looking for crime patterns to make sure that we're doing everything that we can to keep people safe in the city.”

You can find the full interview Sunday right here.