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Part 1: The Requirements

                                                    POLICE BOARD CITY OF CHICAGO

 

APPLICATION FOR THE POSITION OF SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE December 10, 2015

 

The Chicago Police Board is conducting a national search for qualified candidates for the position of Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.

 

When a vacancy in the Superintendent’s position occurs, the Board is required by the Municipal Code of Chicago to nominate three candidates for the position. In designating nominees, the Board looks solely to the professional and personal qualifications of the candidates, without reference to the residence of the nominees. The Board submits its list of three nominees to the Mayor, who appoints the Superintendent from the Board’s list with the advice and consent of the City Council.

 

Chicago Police Department

The Chicago Police Department, the nation’s second largest police agency, serves a diverse population of about 2.7 million persons residing within Chicago’s 228 square miles. Detailed information about the Department’s organization, budget, and activities may be found in documents available on the Police Board’s website at ChicagoPoliceBoard.org.

 

 

Superintendent of Police

As the chief executive officer of the Chicago Police Department, the Superintendent of Police is responsible for the general management and control of the Department, and shall have the full and complete authority to administer the Department in a manner consistent with the ordinances of the City, the laws of the state, and the rules and regulations of the Police Board.

 

The Superintendent reports directly to the Mayor. There is no fixed term of office. Each of the past seven Superintendents has served at least three years.

 

Minimum Requirements

The Chicago Municipal Code requires all City employees to reside within the City limits. If the successful candidate is not currently a Chicago resident, he or she must be prepared to relocate within the shortest feasible time after being appointed.

 

There are no other specific requirements for the position imposed by the Chicago Municipal Code. However, in the most recent Superintendent searches, nearly every candidate the Board nominated to the Mayor had at least the following minimum experience:

 

  • Earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university;

  • Earned a graduate degree from, or completed successfully a significant number of graduate-level courses at, an accredited college or university; and

  • Extensive experience as a high-level executive in a large law-enforcement agency.

Attributes

In evaluating applicants for the position, the Police Board will be looking for numerous professional and personal attributes, including but not limited to the following:

 

  • The highest standards of integrity;

  • An exemplary and proven record of working with diverse populations and interest groups found within a major urban city, and of integrating community input into the planning and implementation of police services;

  • A commitment to and a proven plan to expand and maintain diversity in an organization representing the broad groups resident within the community;

  • The ability to motivate police officers to effectively address criminal conduct, while at the same time avoiding excessive force, corruption, verbal abuse or other misconduct which undermine the public’s trust in the Department;

  • Extensive experience in devising and implementing plans to address terrorism threats;

  • An exemplary record of leading large organizations, or major units within large organizations;

  • Administrative, budgetary, and strategic management skills needed to direct a large, complex police agency;

  • Outstanding skills in communicating and interacting with the media, community organizations, elected officials, and the general public;

  • A commitment to meritorious advancement based on demonstrated achievement and experience;

  • A clear understanding of the role of technology in policing and how to most effectively deploy technology to meet a department’s goals;

  • A proven record of innovation in dealing with major challenges, and successful implementation of those innovations;

  • Experience in dealing with labor-management issues, and the ability to work effectively with employee unions;

  • The willingness and ability to work effectively with other law-enforcement agencies, including the Office of the State’s Attorney, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Attorney’s office, and state and local police agencies, on general crime-related issues and anti-terrorism efforts.

Application Procedures

 

All inquiries concerning the application process should be directed to:

 

Max A. Caproni, Executive Director

Chicago Police Board

30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 1220

Chicago, IL 60602

312-742-3259

Max.Caproni@cityofchicago.org

 

To be considered for the position, the applicant must complete and submit the following items:

 

  1. A résumé summarizing your professional and educational background.

 

  1. A list of references. Designate no more than four (4) persons who are prepared to serve as professional or personal references on your behalf. For each reference, provide the person’s name, title, address, telephone number, and e-mail address. Briefly describe the context in which you know the person. At least two references should be from outside the professional law enforcement profession, and it is preferable that one of these two be a leader from a community group with whom you have worked. References should be prepared to address your character, reputation, and qualifications to serve as Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Please note: It will be far more helpful to list references that know you well, but may not necessarily be well known to the Board, rather than listing highly-visible persons who do not know you well. References must not be related to you by blood or marriage. The Board (or its agents) will contact these references at its discretion, and may request written statements from the references.

 

In addition to listing references, you may have up to four (4) letters of recommendation submitted on your behalf. If you choose to request such letters, they should be from individuals who know you well (the individuals need not be the same as those on your list of references). The letters must be sent by the writer directly to the office of the Police Board.

 

  1. Essays. Exhibit 1 below includes essay questions. You are to answer each question in an essay of no more than three (3) typed, double-spaced pages per question.

 

  1. A statement of authorship. Exhibit 2 below is a form to be signed, under oath, affirming that you, as the applicant, are the actual author of the essays submitted in response to the questions in Exhibit 1.

 

  1. An authorization to prepare an investigative report. Exhibit 3 below is a release form authorizing the Board, or its agents, to have access to the records and information listed.

 

Do not include with your application photographs of yourself, awards, diplomas, certificates, video- or audio-recordings, or other material not specified in the numbered items above. The use of elaborate binding is discouraged.

 

Applicants must submit an original and one (1) copy of all required material to:

 

Chicago Police Board

Attn: Max A. Caproni, Executive Director

30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 1220

Chicago, Illinois 60602

 

To be considered for the position, all required material must be received in the office of the Police Board by 5:00 p.m. Central Time on Friday, January 15, 2016.

 

Any material omission or misstatement in your application material which comes to the Board’s attention is grounds for your immediate disqualification from the selection process.

 

The Board will notify candidates whom it wishes to interview. References for such applicants may be contacted by the Board or its agents. Candidates who are interviewed may also be subject to supplementary background investigations and may be asked to furnish additional information.

 

All potential applicants are advised that the selection process will be conducted on an accelerated basis. The amount of time allowed for responding to supplementary inquiries, and for scheduling interviews, will of necessity be very short.

 

The Board will notify each applicant as soon as possible regarding the status of her or his application. Application materials will not be returned to applicants.

 

The Police Board will make every effort to maintain confidentiality regarding all inquiries, applications, interviews, and other matters pertaining to individual applicants. However, please note that the names of the three nominees that the Board submits to the Mayor will become public. In the event that you are selected as one of the three nominees, you will be notified in advance of any public announcement regarding your status.

 

The three finalists whom the Police Board submits to the Mayor may also be interviewed by the Mayor and/or his staff, and may be called upon to provide further information.

Exhibit 1 Essay Questions

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Answer each question below using no more than three (3) typed, double-spaced pages per question. The Board understands and will take into account that candidates who are not current or former members of the Chicago Police Department will have less familiarity with the Department than those who are or have been CPD members.

 

  1. What does accountability mean in the context of policing?

    • What are the best practices for early warning systems for police officers?

    • How do you assess and address bias-based policing? How does the message get articulated to the police force and executed throughout the organization and down to the level of officers on the beat?

 

  1. Chicago has tried a number of strategies to reduce the rate of shootings, homicides and other serious violent crimes. What are the most effective methods of achieving reduction in these categories of crimes, and how would you effectuate them in Chicago?

 

  1. There have been a number of recent highly publicized issues involving use of force by police officers both in Chicago and around the nation. Please discuss your philosophy regarding:

    • The use of force by the police;

    • Investigations regarding police use of force (appropriate investigative body, transparency, timing, independence of investigators versus internal department investigation, etc.); and

    • The so-called “militarization” of modern police departments.

 

  1. What does community engagement and policing mean to you? ï‚· Define the terms in your words.

    • What has been your experience with community policing?

    • To the extent that it differs, what has been your experience with community engagement?

    • What is your philosophy regarding “community policing” and how have you executed on that philosophy?

    • What is your philosophy regarding community engagement and how have you executed on that philosophy?

    • The City of Chicago has been suffering a significant distrust between the community and the Police Department. How do you propose to address this distrust?

 

  1. Do you believe it necessary to have greater diversity in the makeup of the Department’s sworn personnel? If yes, how would you increase the percentage of sworn members from under-represented groups? Specifically address your strategy for encouraging persons of color to join the force in times of community distrust.

 

 

 

  1. Police integrity is being questioned all over the country. Describe your plan for:

    • Fostering a culture in which police officers elevate the importance of telling the truth, and complying with Departmental rules of conduct, over the temptation to protect themselves or each other from discipline.

    • How would you incentivize officers to not only exercise personal integrity in the discharge of their responsibilities, but also to report misconduct on the part of other officers?

 

  1. How have you incorporated technology into policing? What is the appropriate use of technology and what are its goals? How does technology complement human policing?

 

  1. Describe your experience in working on terrorism related matters. In particular, please address:

    • How to enhance information gathering, analysis and making relevant information operational, through sharing with other law enforcement partners in Chicago and elsewhere.

    • How would you develop ties and relationships with other law enforcement actors around the world?

    • What is the best approach to engaging with federal partners?

 

 

 

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Exhibit 2 Statement of Authorship

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I, _______________________________________, as part of my application for the position of Print Name

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Superintendent of Police, City of Chicago, do hereby swear, under oath, that I am the actual

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author of all essays submitted in my application.

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____________________________________

Signature

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Subscribed and sworn before me

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this _______day of _________________, 20__.

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___________________________________

Notary Public

Exhibit 3 Authorization to Prepare an Investigative Report

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This is to inform you that as part of the procedure for evaluating a candidate for the position of Superintendent of Police, an investigative report may be prepared from information obtained through contact with financial and criminal records sources, educational institutions, certification boards, friends, business associates, and other parties with whom you are acquainted. This information will include inquiries into your character, general reputation, and personal characteristics. You have the right, through the Fair Credit Reporting Act, to make a written request, within a reasonable period of time, for complete disclosure of additional information concerning the nature and scope of the investigation.

 

I hereby authorize the Police Board or its agents to conduct the investigation and prepare the investigative report described above:

 

Name (please print): ____________________________________________

 

Signature: ____________________________________________

 

Date: ____________________________________________

 

 

In connection with an application for employment, I hereby authorize and request any present or former employer, school, police department, financial institution, or other persons having personal knowledge about me, to furnish bearer with any and all information in their possession regarding me. A photocopy or facsimile of this authorization may be accepted with the same authority as the original.

 

Name (please print):

 

_____________________________________________

Signature:

 

_____________________________________________

Date:

_____________________________________________

 

 

Please provide the following information:

 

Social Security Number: ____________________________________________

 

Date of Birth: ____________________________________________

 

Maiden or former name(s): ____________________________________________

 

Driver’s License Number: ____________________________________________

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