Chicago Police Board President Lori E. Lightfoot announced, on Dec. 10, that the application material for the position of Superintendent of Police is now available, and can be found on the Police Board's website at ChicagoPoliceBoard.org .
"The application is comprehensive in nature. It is designed to require each candidate to not only describe his or her professional and personal qualifications, but to also directly address important challenges facing the Police Department," said Lightfoot in a statement.
As required by city ordinance, when there is a vacancy in the Superintendent's position, the Police Board is responsible for nominating three candidates for consideration by the Mayor. Former Chicago Police Department Superintendent Garry McCarthy was terminated by Mayor Rahm Emanuel Dec. 1.
Lightfoot, who is openly lesbian, has headed the Chicago Police Board since May. A trial lawyer with the firm Mayer Brown, she is also part of the new task force, announced by Emanuel on Dec. 2, charged with repairing relations between the police and the larger community and investigating CPD misconduct.
In 2013, Lightfoot reflected on her career and being out in a Windy City Times interview. "I'm happy that we live in a time where there are so many opportunities opening up for people like me," she said. "We can never forget the struggles, particularly as a woman of color, as a lesbian, I never forget that. I know there are going to be people out there who only see that, and only see it in a negative way. I'm heartened by the fact that we are living in a time in this country where we're seeing that people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, have more of an opportunity to live their lives without restriction, without being judged negatively, and that's inspiring."
The Police Board will host a series of community meetings to solicit public feedback. Those meetings will occur in different locations across the city in the new year. Prospective candidates will have until Friday, January 15, to apply for the position.
See our Windy City Times 2013 interview with Lightfoot here: www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Lesbian-lawyer-lives-her-passion-/42525.html .