The man chosen by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to head the nation’s second-largest police force became acting superintendent Wednesday pending approval of his appointment by the city’s aldermen.
Former interim Superintendent Charlie Beck handed the reins of the Chicago Police Department to David Brown. Beck, who spent 40 years with the Los Angeles Police Department, and headed Chicago’s police department for five months after Superintendent Eddie Johnson was fired in December for allegedly misleading Lightfoot about a drinking-and-driving episode.
Beck said he couldn’t wait to get home to his family, adding that he will be leaving family behind.
“Even though I came to Chicago without knowing virtually anybody that was in the Chicago Police Department, I leave feeling very much connected to them and very much part of the CPD family,” he said.
Lightfoot praised Beck, who did away with the department’s heavily criticized merit promotions system, and restructured some of its operations.
Brown, a former Dallas police chief, also praised Beck, noting he allocated more resources to patrol commanders and established a bureau devoted to professionalizing the 13,000-member department. He said he will ensure what Beck began he will set in place so that it will reach its full potential.
The Chicago City Council is expected to vote on Brown’s appointment next week.