Page 28 - February 2016

COVER STORY
CHICAGO’S NEXT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27
“We certainly need somebody who has experience leading several units,” Casiano adds. “That is how you learn to under- stand the troops. At the end of the day, the patrol division is the backbone of the Department, and you have to understand them.”
importance of telling the truth” one in a series of intense qual- ifications. So what can the new superintendent bring to the fray that can best serve members?
“We need a man or woman who when they go to the dis- tricts everybody knows is a copper’s copper,” believes 41st Ward Alderman Anthony Napolitano, who served five years on the job in the old 15th District and whose father, uncle and brother have more than 80 years of combined service in the Department. “Nobody knows what’s going on out in the streets except for a police officer, and that’s somebody cops know will stick their neck out for them.”
So if Casiano is hearing it correctly, officers want a leader who has not forgotten where he or she came from. Alderman Napolitano connects that to the moment he first set foot on patrol, the moment he first put on the uniform.
Who’s got next?
He’s talking about the pride. Napolitano contends that the new top cop must instill the honor that he felt when marching in his first St. Jude parade along with his father, uncle and brother. And he wonders if there is a means and an end.
With limited information coming from the Police Board or the city about top cop candidates, this discussion provides value by asking what attributes and assets officers need the new superintendent to possess. And where to find the person who exudes those qualifications.
“I think you might want to go back to the way Superintend- ents Hillard and Cline rewarded officers,” he specifies. “The ‘Atta boys’ and ‘Atta girls’ are gone. We need to bring them back to make coppers feel like they are really doing something, like they are worthy.”
President Angelo suggests looking deep inside the Depart- ment to understand the foundation of such qualifications. In his professorial – and captivating – way, Angelo, Sr. makes ref- erence to the television show “Undercover Boss” to illustrate how the best leader can and will learn from the beat officers.
Worthy candidates for Chicago’s top cop are, of course, a matter of ongoing conversation. Word on the street is that the Police Board, the independent body of citizens appointed by the mayor with the advice and consent of the city council, received nearly 40 applications by the Jan. 15 deadline. The process calls for narrowing to 10 semifinalists for the Board to interview before recommending the three finalists.
“A lot of officers are concerned about having a superintend- ent who has never done the grunt work,” Mr. President explains. “It’s like in corporate America where the best owners are the ones that started with washing dishes, cleaning the floors and taking out the garbage. The boss has worked every aspect and not just for a cup of coffee. It has to be somebody who has been there and done that for some time.”
Names of finalists, like DeKalb County, Georgia Public Safety Director Cedric Alexander, have emerged. But Police Board President Lori Lightfoot would only confirm, “Your voices have already informed our work and will continue to influence the process. Simply put, we are looking for the per- son who can be the best agent of change and make integrity the highest value held by the men and women of the Chicago Police Department.”
The new super would do well to embrace the experience and knowledge of the union president, or so advises Ray Casiano, Lodge 7’s First Vice-President. If the next top cop is listening, and he or she would do well to do so, there are some good ideas coming forth here.
Lightfoot, who has also been in contact with President Angelo repeatedly during the selection process, did reveal a few small details that may or may not be what members are looking for.
Alderman Matt O’Shea, who represents the 19th Ward neighborhoods where many officers live, submits that the new leader knows Chicago and understands its communities. And when he or she takes over:
“It would appear that we have a number of African-Amer- ican candidates,” Lightfoot told the Chicago Sun-Times. “Many have big-city experience or experience with large organizations in and out of Chicago. Roughly a third are CPD or have CPD experience.”
“I would suggest going to as many roll calls as you can and let the officers know you stand shoulder to shoulder with them,” Alderman O’Shea continues. “Let them know you need them on the street and that they will be supported and appreciated.”
Next big thing
Casiano stands shoulder to shoulder with CPD officers as much as anybody, and the inside story he has been hearing indicates the cops on the street want a new leader who has grown up in the city earning his or her ranks. Another com- ment that echoes is an affinity for candidates who started their careers with the CPD and want to finish here as well.
In the spirit of never forgetting when you came from, Alder- man Napolitano notes that the search for the new boss, as well as the current events of Chicago policing, have him reaching for the contacts of the 100 or so CPD officers he grew up with or met at the academy in his cell phone more fre- quently. Speed dial has led him to learn that when officers talk about the best candidates, it’s not whether they are male, female, from another city, African-American, Latino, Asian or along those lines.
And the greatest statement that can be made to members, he believes, is a hire that says the days of reinventing the wheel are done, that the tools, the talent and experience to cultivate a new leader are here.
“It’s usually a great chief of detectives or a great chief of patrol,” Napolitano details. “They know who that person is.” And apparently they are definitive about who that person
28 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MARCH 2016