Jan. 06--The Chicago Police Department's chief crime strategist, a close ally of ousted Superintendent Garry McCarthy, has announced his retirement.
Robert Tracy met McCarthy while both worked for the New York Police Department and then joined him here when McCarthy was named superintendent in 2011.
Tracy has accepted an executive-level security position with a private company, interim Superintendent John Escalante said in a statement.
Tracy leaves a department reeling in the aftermath of the court-ordered release of the disturbing video showing Officer Jason Van Dyke shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times, killing him. Van Dyke has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges, while McCarthy was fired by Mayor Rahm Emanuel amid the fallout.
Tracy, whose annual salary was $194,256 as the department's chief of crime control strategies, ran weekly meetings with McCarthy on CompStat, the department's data-driven strategy that uses crime statistics and street intelligence to hold police brass accountable for their neighborhoods.
During Tracy's tenure, the department integrated more technology with its crime-fighting strategies. This included the "Two Degrees of Association" strategy, which identified more than 400 people across the city who were most likely to get shot or to shoot somebody.
Under Tracy's leadership, the department also analyzed three years of violent crime statistics to create 20 "impact zones" -- deemed the statistically most dangerous areas of the city -- where hundreds of officers were deployed each day to prevent violence.
jgorner@tribpub.com
