Garry McCarthy made a beeline to Chicago Police headquarters after his boss Rahm Emanuel was sworn into office Monday morning as Chicago’s 46th mayor.
McCarthy, the former Newark Police director, assumed the role of Chicago’s acting top cop as he awaits City Council approval to officially become the next police superintendent.
McCarthy said he met with the department’s two assistant superintendents and other police brass. He said he was impressed with “a couple” of the officials but will have to “get a better feel” for others.
Last week, Massachusetts consultant Robert Wasserman visited Chicago on McCarthy’s invitation to create a list of information McCarthy should ask the department to collect —including priorities for his first 30 days.
McCarthy Era Begins
A couple of comments said that the new supe is gathering resumes and beginning interviews of current exempts. While a wholesale decapitation and bloodbath (a la J-Fled) seems unlikely, there are enough nervous gold stars out there to fill a bus. McCarthy is on record saying there's "too much specialization" in regard to units, which we assume means overlapping areas of responsibility and bosses carving out little spheres of influence. This might be a bout to change. A top-to-bottom consolidation of redundant units would free up enough bodies to fill a few districts and since Rahm promised 1,000 more street officers, they've got to come from somewhere. The Academy certainly isn't filled.