YOU VERY MUCH.

>> THANKS, PARIS.

>> AND BRANDIS, WE TOSS IT BACK TO YOU.

>>> CHARLIE BECK LED THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR ALMOST A DECADE UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT IN 2018.

BUT HE CAME OUT OF RETIREMENT TO BE CHICAGO'S INTERIM POLICE SUPERINTENDENT AFTER MAYOR LORI LIGHTFOOT FIRED EDDIE JOHNSON IN 2019.

DESPITE JUST FIVE MONTHS ON THE JOB, HE PUSHED THROUGH SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL REFORMS, SOME OF WHICH WERE LATER UNDONE BY SUPERINTENDENT DAVID BROWN.

JOINING US NOW FROM CALIFORNIA TO SHARE HIS THOUGHTS ON WHAT CHICAGO SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR IN ITS NEXT POLICE CHIEF IS CHARLIE BECK.

CHIEF BECK, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

>> BRANDIS, PLEASURE TO JOIN YOU.

>> SO BEFORE WE TALK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHAT CHICAGO SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR IN ITS NEXT POLICE SUPERINTENDENT.

GIVE US YOUR ASSESSMENT OF HOW FORMER SUPERINTENDENT DAVID BROWN PERFORMED IN THAT ROLE?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THAT IS CHICAGO'S JUDGMENT TO MAKE AND NOT MINE.

I WILL SAY THAT HE HAD A VERY TOUGH TIME IN A VERY TOUGH TIME IN POLICING IN AMERICA WITH COVID, INCREASING CRIME RATES, AND COMING FROM THE OUTSIDE TO LEADY A DEPARTMENT THAT IS VERY ATTUNED TO ITS OWN STYLE OF POLICING.

SO IT WAS A STEEP CLIMB FOR HIM.

I THINK BY NOT ONLY MY JUDGMENT, BUT HE FELL A LITTLE SHORT.

>> YOU SAID CHICAGO'S NEXT POLICE CHIEF HAS SOME BIG CHANGES TO MAKE.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT AND WHY?

>> WELL, FIRST I THINK INCLUDING MORALE IS GOING TO BE KEY.

YOU KNOW, THE MORALE OF THE CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN HITTING ROCK BOTTOM RIGHT NOW.

THEY HAVE GONE TO VAST NUMBER OF PREVAILS AND TRAGEDY, AND I CAN CERTAINLY SEE WHY THEY FEEL UNDERSUPPORTED AND KIND OF UNWANTED IN CHICAGO.

WHICH TO ME IS THE OPPOSITE OF THE WAY PEOPLE IN CHICAGO THINK.

I FIND PEOPLE IN CHICAGO TO BE VERY STEADFAST AND IN THEIR SUPPORT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT TO BE VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD.

I LOVE WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITIES IN CHICAGO BECAUSE OF THAT.

SO I THINK THAT'S DOABLE.

OTHER THINGS HAVE TO BE DONE IN ORDER TO SHOW THE POLICE THAT THEY ARE APPRECIATED AND VALUED, JUST LIKE ALL OF US WANT.

SO I THINK THAT'S JOB ONE.

JOB TWO IS TO APPROVE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND ONE OF THE PRIMARY WAYS OF DOING THAT IS ACCEPTANCE OF THE CONSENT DECREE.

I WAS UNDER THE CONSENT DECREE IN LOS ANGELES.

I COMPLETED THE CONSENT DECREE WHILE I WAS CHIEF.

AND WHEN PEOPLE ASKED ME WHAT I WOULD CHANGE AFTER IT WAS OVER, I SAID NOTHING.

BECAUSE IT IS A ROAD MAP TO EXCELLENT AND POLICING.

YOU KNOW YES, IT'S HARD, YES, IT'S A HEAVY LIFT.

BUT WHEN YOU'RE COMPLETED WITH IT, WHEN YOU'VE DONE MORE THAN CHECK THE BOXES, BUT ACTUALLY MADE THE CHANGE THAT IT DEMANDS.

YOU HAVE A MUCH, MUCH BETTER POLICE AGENCY.

SO THAT'S ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS.

AND THEN THE STRUCTURE OF CPD IS ANTIQUATED.

IT IS VERY CENTRAL LEAD FOCUSED DEPARTMENT WITH MANY, MANY CITY WIDE UNITS THAT EAT UP A LOT OF RESOURCES.

I THINK THOSE RESOURCES NEED TO BE PUSHED DOWN TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS.

THEY NEED TO BE UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE DISTRICT COMMANDERS AND THOSE DISTRICT COMMANDERS ARE THE PEOPLE THAT ARE MOST RESPONSIBLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS, AND THE MOST RESPONSIBLE TO PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN CHICAGO.

THEY NEED TO BE THE ONES TO CONTROL THE RESOURCES.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER THINGS, BUT THAT'S JUST A FEW.

>> OKAY, SO WE'VE HEARD MAYOR ELECT BRANDON JOHNSON WOULD LIKE THE NEXT SUPERINTENDENT TO BE SOMEONE WHO IS CURRENTLY A CPD MEMBER.

BUT THE RECORD OF OTHER DEPARTMENTS UNDER CONSENT DECREES, HAVING BEEN MORE SUCCESSFUL UNDER OUTSIDERS.

MAYBE THERE'S LESS BAGGAGE, NO COMPLICATING TIES THAT OTHERS MIGHT HAVE TO OTHERS IN THE DEPARTMENT.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF APPOINTING SOMEONE WHO IS AN INSIDER?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, I'D PICK THE BEST PERSON.

I DON'T THINK IT MAKES ANY DIFFERENCE -- NO, THAT'S NOT EXACTLY RIGHT.

LET ME CLARIFY.

I THINK EITHER AN INSIDER OR OUTSIDER CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.

AND THERE ARE ADVANTAGES TO BOTH.

YOU BROUGHT UP ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES TO AN OUTSIDER.

THEY DON'T HAVE THE EXCESS BAGGAGE THAT A LONG-TERM CPD MEMBER WOULD ENTAIL.

BUT THEY ALSO HAVE THE BENEFIT OF SEEING THINGS FROM A FRESH PERSPECTIVE AND MORE IMPORTANTLY SEEING HOW THINGS ARE DONE OUTSIDE OF CHICAGO.

YOU KNOW CPD IS A VERY INSULAR POLICE AGENCY.

IT'S NOT REALLY THEIR FAULT.

THEY'RE THE BIGGEST CITY IN ILLINOIS BY A FACTOR OF, I DON'T KNOW, 30 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

AND SO THEY DON'T HAVE A LOT OF CONTEMPORARIES TO LOOK AT IN THE GEOGRAPHY.

SO THEY HAVE TO GO WAY OUTSIDE.

THEY HAVE TO GO TO NEW YORK, L.A., AND THEY HAVE TO LOOK AT THOSE CITIES AND SEE WHAT THEY DO, AND THEN SEE WHAT IS WORTH ADOPTING FOR CHICAGO.

THERE IS A LOT THAT WILL BE WORTH ADOPTING FOR CHICAGO.

SO IT COULD BE EITHER ONE.

BUT LIKE I SAY, SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, IT IS A STEEP LEARNING CURB FOR THE OUTSIDER.

AND IT IS A STEEP FORGIVING CURB FOR AN INSIDER.

YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THE ADVANTAGES AND BE THE ONE TO PICK THE PERSON THAT WILL BE THE BEST.

>> YOU'VE MENTIONED THE CONSENT DECREE, AND WE KNOW ULTIMATELY A LOT OF THE CONSENT DECREE IS ABOUT CHANGING THE CULTURE IN THE DEPARTMENT.

HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU THAT SUCH A CULTURE SHIFT IS POSSIBLE WITHIN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME?

>> WELL, I AM CONFIDENT BECAUSE I SAW IT HAPPEN IN LOS ANGELES WHEN I WAS THERE.

WHEN I WAS -- IN THE LATE 90s WHEN THE CONSENT DECREE WAS BEING FORMULATED, YOU KNOW, THE DEPARTMENT REJECTED IT.

THEY TRIED TO OVERTURN IT.

THE CHIEFS WERE HIGHLY RELUCTANT TO DO ANYTHING WITH IT OR TO SUPPORT IT.

AND YOU KNOW, AFTER THE 13 YEARS THAT WE WERE UNDER THE CONSENT DECREE, IT WAS ACCEPTED BY EVERYBODY.

PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT WE COMPLY WITH IT.

PEOPLE UNDERSTOOD WHAT THE GOALS WERE THAT ALL OF THE REQUIREMENTS WERE PREDICATED ON.

AND IT'S A BETTER POLICE DEPARTMENT.

I DON'T THINK ANYBODY IN THE LAPD WILL SAY DIFFERENT.

YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY PEOPLE WHO WERE IN CHARGE OF RUNNING THINGS BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCE.

I MEAN I CAN LITERALLY SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE LAPD CONSENT DECREE AND POST CONSENT DECREE.

BELIEVE ME, OUR CULTURE WAS EASILY AS HARD HEADED AS CHICAGO'S, EASILY.

>> AND SO YOU'VE GOT FAITH THAT IT COULD HAPPEN IN CHICAGO AS WELL.

WE'RE ALMOST OUT OF TIME, CHIEF.

I WANT TO ASK YOU AS WE HAVE TO LET YOU GO ABOUT GUN CONTROL IN THIS EPIDEMIC OF GUN VIOLENCE IN MASS SHOOTINGS THAT THIS COUNTRY IS EXPERIENCING.

FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE AS A POLICE OFFICER, A POLICE LEADER.

HOW DO YOU THINK THE COUNTRY NEEDS TO BE APPROACHING, BALANCING THE SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS TO BEAR ARMS WITH EVERYBODY ELSE'S RIGHT NOT TO BE SHOT WHILE GOING ABOUT THEIR DAILY LIVES?

>> WE HAVE TO TAKE GUN CRIME SERIOUSLY.

I THINK UNWANTED GUNS ARE THE VAIN OF OUR EXISTENCE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

YES, I RECOGNIZE FOLKS HAVE A RIGHT TO OWN GUNS.

I'M A GUN OWNER AS ALL POLICE OFFICERS ARE.

BUT I ALSO SUPPORT WHAT YOU SAY.

THAT WE ALSO HAVE A RIGHT NOT TO BE SHOT.

SO I THINK GUN CRIME HAVE TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY.

THEY HAVE TO BE PROSECUTED.

POLICE DEPARTMENTS NEED TO MAKE THEIR ENFORCEMENT A PRIORITY, PARTICULARLY GETTING GUNS OUT OF THE HANDS OF FELONS AND GETTING GUNS OUT OF THE HANDS OF THOSE THAT HAVE MENTAL ILLNESS ISSUES.

AND I THINK IF WE CONCENTRATE ON THOSE THINGS, THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION IS UNAFFECTED BY THAT WORK.