Chicago City Wire

The Chicago City Council unanimously voted to confirm Larry Snelling as the city's new police superintendent.

In a 48-0 vote, aldermen on Wednesday gave their rubber stamp to Mayor Brandon's Johnson pick to lead the police department. Snelling replaces interim Supt. Fred Waller, who has held the position following the resignation of former Supt. David Brown.

Johnson called Snelling, 54, a "proven leader" who has the "respect of his peers."

Snelling, 54, previously served as the department's counterterrorism chief, a police academy instructor, and a patrolman on the South Side.

The new police superintendent told Aldermen that he'll need their support in order to put a stop to the spike in robberies and carjackings that have plagued the city.

"The only way we’re going to get that done is to work together, work as a team," he said. "We can agree to disagree, but what we have to agree upon is that we need each other, we need everybody."

Snelling also said that he plans to hold accountable officers who engage in misconduct.

"When we have bad officers, I will call them out. But when our officers are held accountable, they have to be held accountable fairly,” Snelling testified before the City Council.

During Snelling's 31-year career, he has received rewards for his physical fitness, honored for attendance and accused of misconduct, according to a database of police misconduct complaints.

Snelling has been suspended at least twice — for excessive force and associating with a felon — since joining the department in 1992, according to the Invisible Institute database.