Jan. 04--The Chicago Police Board will have a special public meeting next week to receive input from the community on who should be the next police superintendent.
Lori Lightfoot, the board's president, said she and other board members will attend the meeting between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Jan. 12 at the Chicago Urban League headquarters at 4510 S. Michigan Ave.
Each speaker will be limited to two minutes.
The nine-member mayoral-appointed police board set a deadline of Jan. 15 for applications to be submitted. The board said it would then interview those candidates it believes are best qualified before selecting three finalists from which Mayor Rahm Emanuel would choose.
Garry McCarthy, who had the post for more than 41/2 years, was fired Dec. 1 by Emanuel after the release of a disturbing dashboard camera video of a Chicago police officer shooting Laquan McDonald 16 times. The scandal led to weeks of street protests and an investigation by the U.S. Justice Department into the Police Department's use of force and other controversies.
The mayor named John Escalante interim police superintendent until a permanent successor can be named and take office. In an interview Thursday with the Tribune, Escalante, a 29-year veteran of the department, said he plans to apply for the full-time post.
jgorner@tribpub.com
