Three top-ranking members of the Chicago Police Department were chosen on Thursday as finalists to be the next permanent superintendent.
The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability voted to nominate First Deputy Supt. Antoinette Ursitti, Chief of Community Policing Angel Novalez, and Counterterrorism Bureau Chief Chris Papaioannou as finalists for the top cop job after conducting a nationwide search.
"We believe that we have identified three outstanding candidates who could all thoughtfully and competently lead the department," CCPSA President Remel Terry said.
Papaioannou has been with the department for 27 years, and before he was named CPD's counterterrorism chief, he served as a deputy chief in various roles for four years, and as commander of the 19th District from May 2019 to January 2022.
Ursitti, who has been with CPD for 26 years, was named as first deputy superintendent just days before Snelling announced his retirement. Before that, she was chief of detectives for three years, and also previously served as deputy chief of training, and commander of the department's crisis intervention team.
Novalez has been on the force for 26 years, and has served as chief of community policing since 2024. Previously, he served as chief of constitutional policing and reform for two years. He also was a finalist for superintendent in 2023 before Snelling was named top cop.
"The right superintendent can shape the direction and culture of the entire department and make a real difference," Terry said.
Mayor Brandon Johnson now has 30 days to either pick one of the finalists or reject all three, and demand another search. The mayor's pick for superintendent would be subject to confirmation by the Chicago City Council.
If Johnson were to select Ursitti, she would be the first woman ever to lead the Chicago Police Department. She is currently the second-ranking member of the department behind acting Supt. Fred Waller, and oversees the department's day-to-day operations.
Waller took over as interim superintendent in July, following the retirement of Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling.
The process to find Snelling's replacement began the day after he announced his retirement in July. Since then, the commission has held eight public listening sessions, including one that specifically targeted young people and another conducted entirely in Spanish.
The search team also created focus groups with community organizations and reviewed comments submitted online. Also,18 district councils solicited feedback at neighborhood meetings. So far, there's been more than two dozen public listening sessions and 11 focus groups.
The commission reported that Chicagoans they heard from repeatedly cited their top priorities as reducing violent crime, building trust between police and communities, and improving officer wellness and morale.
The team took those concerns into consideration while spending the past several weeks reviewing credentials and conducting interviews with candidates. A total of 46 people submitted applications from within CPD and from across the country.
Of the 46 applicants, nine received a formal interview, five made it to the second round, and now three are finalists, but that list wasn't a unanimous vote.
"When it came to Chief Chris Papaioannou, I wasn't fully in support of him, and I decided to vote no on the whole slate," CCPSA commissioner Angelique Guzman said.
Some people wonder what will happen to the new police superintendent if Mayor Johnson does not win reelection in February.
"Any administration, the current one or if there happens to be a new one, listens to the constituents of Chicago and gets behind what they've said that they wanted, and we believe that we put forth three individuals that reflect that," Terry said.
