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New chief takes over Chicago police department

Carlos Daez
Staff Reporter

Large edit to section with Sawyer and Cardenas new quotes from Cardenas about Johnson.

Late last month, Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel chose veteran officer Eddie Johnson
to be the city's new chief of police.

Johnson, 55, has been with the force for twenty-seven years, starting as a neighborhood
cop. Until March 28, he was chief of patrol; while not on the shortlist of candidates for
consideration, Johnson managed to land the new job, even if he never applied for it.

Emanuel, speaking for a press conference at Chicago's Police Headquarters late last
month, highlighted the officer's character. Live on CNN, he announced, "I believe he is the right
person, at the right time, to serve as interim superintendent. He has the command, the character
and the capability to lead the department at this critical juncture1."

"I am one of you. I grew up here. I raised my kids here," said the new chief to the
audience, after taking Emanuel's place at the podium, "I have spent my entire career with the
Chicago Police Department. I am proud to wear this star, and I am absolutely confident that we
can meet this challenge."

Under the formal title of interim superintendent, Johnson replaces Chief of Detectives
John Escalante, who filled in after former superintendent Garry McCarthy was fired in
December 2015. Chicago's rising homicide rate under McCarthy, as well as the fatal shooting
of Laquan McDonald, is reported by the city's major news outlets, the Chicago Tribune2 and
the Chicago Sun-Times3, to be the main reason for Emanuel removing the man he appointed
as leader of the police in 2011.

1http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/28/us/chicago-police-superintendent/
2http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-chicago-police-eddie-johnson-met-20160328-story.html
3http://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/rahm-emanuel-surprise-chicago-police-superintendent-choice-eddie-

johnson-fallout-over-laquan-mcdonald-killing/
Praise for the new chief from the community seems to come more from his background
than character. As a lifelong Chicago native who grew up in the city's government housing
projects, Johnson may have an easier time understanding the reasons for certain crimes.
Having started out as a neighborhood cop, the ability to effectively communicate and emphasize
with his lower-ranking officers should rise naturally.

However, the city council's Latin-American representatives were not satisfied with the
result. In contrast to the praises of Roderick Sawyer, leader of the council's African-American
delegates, Latino leader George Cardenas and his group were disappointed that their
candidate, John Escalante, was rejected. "The process failed Escalante, and it failed the
Hispanic community," said Cardenas, speaking with Chicago news outlet DNA-Info4. "But that
doesn't mean we can't move forward. A later interview with CBS-Chicago found Cardenas in
a better mood; forwarding news from reassuring Latino police officers, he acknowledged,
Eddie Johnson fits the bill, according to the people that Im talking to.5

Mayor Rahm has since encouraged Johnson to apply as permanent superintendent in


the next few months that way his position, and whatever influence he may spread, would not
be temporary. In the meantime, as CBS-Chicago summarizes, the superintendent, interim or
not, is expected to restore morale among the city's policemen and women, and restore trust
from the citizens6. Hopefully, Johnson can prove himself to be the right man, for the right time,
at the right place.

4https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160328/downtown/black-latino-aldermen-unite-behind-eddie-johnson-as-

police-superintendent
5http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/03/28/black-and-latino-aldermen-back-rahms-suprise-choice-for-top-cop/
6http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/03/27/mayor-emanuels-choice-for-top-cop-an-insider-ignores-police-board-

finalists/

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