Police Superintendent Search Down to Three

By Chuck Sudo in News on Apr 26, 2011 3:20PM

The search for a replacement for Jody Weis as Police Superintendent appears to be reaching its endgame, with the field of candidates narrowed down to three. Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Policy and former Seattle police chief, is in the running. So is Newark Police Chief Garry F. McCarthy. The third finalist is deputy chief of detectives Al Wysinger.

The Sun-Times reports that, if Emanuel is looking for results, McCarthy may have the edge. McCarthy has sniffed around the Superintendent job before, most recently in the 2003 search that resulted in Phil Cline being named the city's top cop. McCarthy is also credited as being behind the CompStat program that helped reduce crime numbers in New York City. His experience on the street also jibes with Emanuel's stated belief that the beat cop is the foundation of the department. But McCarthy also has a 2005 disorderly conduct conviction on his record stemming from his attempts to get his daughter out of a parking ticket.

Kerlikowske's record in Seattle should appeal to Emanuel, but as President Obama's "Drug Czar," it's suspected that he may have the taint of federal bureaucracy on him. After hiring a FBI agent in Weis, that may not sit well with a rank-and-file that persistently complains about morale in the department. Emanuel said that his top priority in finding a new Superintendent is to reduce crime in the city.