
Spotlight Politics: Larry Snelling Sworn in as Top Cop
Clip: 9/27/2023 | 8m 50sVideo has Closed Captions
The WTTW News Spotlight Politics team breaks down the day's biggest headlines.
City Council members confirm Larry Snelling as Chicago's next police superintendent. The city is also reportedly dealing with another seven buses of migrants that arrived yesterday, with more coming today.
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Spotlight Politics: Larry Snelling Sworn in as Top Cop
Clip: 9/27/2023 | 8m 50sVideo has Closed Captions
City Council members confirm Larry Snelling as Chicago's next police superintendent. The city is also reportedly dealing with another seven buses of migrants that arrived yesterday, with more coming today.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship>>> CHICAGO HAS A NEW POLICE DEPARTMENT MEMBER.
>>> DISCUSSIONS ABOUT OPENING NEW PLANTS AND MORE BUSES CARRYING ASYLUM-SEEKERS.
WE HAVE THAT AND MORE IN TONIGHT SPOT LIKE SPOTLIGHT POLITICS.
THE NEW SUPERINTENDENT APPROVED BY THE SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING .
FIVE STANDING OVATIONS AND THE ALDERMAN SAID MORE ON THE MOMENT.
>> HE RECEIVED SUPPORT FROM THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM.
THE ALDERMAN WHO ARE CONCERNED NOT SO MUCH ABOUT LOCKING UP CRIMINALS BUT REORIENTING THE DEPARTMENT WHICH OF COURSE HAS BEEN BESET BY DECADES OF MISCONDUCT SCANDALS AND MORTALITY.
THEY HAVE NOT SHOWN IT AND ABILITY TO COMPLY CONSTITUTIONALLY .
IT IS A MASSIVE UNDERTAKING BUT WHAT WE HEARD FROM LARRY SNELLING TODAY IS THAT HIS HIGHEST PRIORITY IS RESTORING THE DEPARTMENTS MORALE AFTER ADMITTEDLY SOME OF THE TOUGHEST YEARS OF POLICING.
THEY WANTED THE OFFICERS TO KNOW THAT HE HAS THEIR BACK.
>> JEANETTE TAYLOR WAS BLUNT IN HER ASSESSMENT OF PRESSURE ON THE POLICE SUPERINTENDENT.
TAKE A LOOK.
>> RIGHT NOW THEY WANT YOU TO BE MAGICAL AND WAIVE YOUR WINE AND FIX THINGS THAT ARE WRONG FOR DECADES.
I'M GOING TO CALL IT LIKE I SEE IT.
>> SOMETHING TO UNPACK ANOTHER TIME.
HE BE THE ONE TO TURN THIS SHIP AROUND?
>> HOPEFULLY THE POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY BODY THAT SELECTED HIM AS ONE OF THE FINALISTS BELIEVE THAT .
I WAS STRUCK THAT THE SPEECH DEFENDING THE POLICE OFFICER SAYING I'M FOR THE POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY BUT LET'S DO THIS FAIRLY.
EVERYONE GETS UP AND PROTEST.
WHAT ABOUT WHEN A ONE-YEAR-OLD A SHOT?
YOU GET THIS IDEA OF WHY THEY LIKE HIM VERY MUCH BECAUSE HE WENT UP AND DEFENDED COPS BECAUSE MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON ELECTED ON THE POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY PLATFORM.
THAT WAS THE PHRASE THAT WAS OPERATIVE HERE .
I WONDER HOW MORE PROGRESSIVE OLDER PEOPLE FELT ABOUT THE SPEECH WITH DEFENDING THE POLICE AND BACKING THEM.
>> IT'S SIMPLY NOT TRUE WITH PLENTY OF PROTEST IS WHEN THERE ARE TRAGIC KILLINGS OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND DOZENS OF PROTESTS ORGANIZED BY BLACK PEOPLE AND LATINO PEOPLE AGAINST VIOLENCE.
I THINK HE NOW HAS TO SORT OF NOT ONLY SORT OF BUILD TRUST WITHIN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BUT HE WILL HAVE TO BUILD TRUST ON THE CITY COUNCIL AS ANY NEW SUPERINTENDENT WOULD AND IT MAKES THINGS HARDER FOR HIM ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT THEY'VE NOT EMPHASIZED EFFORTS TO REFORM THE DEPARTMENT NOMINATION FROM OVER A MONTH AGO.
WE HAVE TO SEE THIS AS A STRATEGIC APPROACH.
I PRESSED HIM ON WHAT HE WOULD DO TO IMPLEMENT THE CONCESSIONS WHICH IS 5% COMPLIED WITH.
HE COULD NOT GIVE ME A FIGURE HE WOULD WANT TO SEE WITHIN THE YEAR BUT HE PLEDGED TO WORK DILIGENTLY TO INCREASE THE COMPLIANCE .
HOW LONG DOES HE HAVE BEFORE THESE PROBLEMS CONTINUE TO SORT OF BLOOM?
>> IS OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF , IT'S ONE OF THE TOUGHEST JOBS TO HAVE.
THE CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE APPROVED THE PANEL TO EXPLORE RE-OPENINGS THAT WOULD HELP AND HAVE ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE TEAMS RESPONDING TO MENTAL HEALTH OR 911 EMERGENCY CALLS .
REMIND US WHY THE CITY'S MENTAL HEALTH CLINICS ARE CLOSED.
>> THE ADMINISTRATION CLOSE TO SIX OF THE 12 EXISTING MENTAL HEALTH CLINICS THEN AS A COST-CUTTING MEASURE.
THE ADMINISTRATION SET AT THAT TIME THERE WASN'T A LOT OF TRAFFIC IN THESE CLINICS BUT I'M NOT SURE THIS WAS THE CASE AS THERE WASN'T ANY MEASUREMENT ON WHAT WOULD HAPPEN.
ESPECIALLY AFTER THE CLINICS CLOSED.
ON THE LIGHTFOOT ADMINISTRATION THEY TOOK A DIFFERENT APPROACH AND DIDN'T REOPEN THE CLINICS BUT CONTRACTED OUT TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND THERE WERE PEOPLE IN THE MENTAL HEALTH COMMUNITY THAT SAID THIS WAS AN OKAY APPROACH BUT MORE PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATIC SOCIAL OLDER PEOPLE ALDER PEOPLE SAID WE NEED TO HAVE KEY PLANKS IN THE PROGRESSIVE PLATFORM.
WITH THE BUDGET DEFICIT THE MAYOR IS FACING HE'S GETTING HIMSELF A LITTLE BIT OF A RUNWAY.
>> THE NEW CPD SUPERINTENDENT , HE SEES ONE WAY TO RESTORE OFFICERS MORALE, TO TAKE THINGS OFF OF THEIR PLACE PLATE.
THEY DON'T RELISH RESPONDING TO CALLS RESPONDING TO CALLS FOR MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS.
THEY NEED THEM TO GET THE RIGHT HELP AND SOMETIMES THEY ARE NOT THE RIGHT ONES TO PROVIDE IT.
SO LARRY SNELLING ENDORSED THE SO-CALLED TREATMENT NOT TRAUMA APPROACH BUT THE QUESTION IS HOW TO PAY FOR THIS?
I THINK THAT'S WHAT THE WORKING GROUP IS TRYING TO CRAFT AND AT THE SAME TIME THEY COULD SAY LOOK WE ARE WORKING ON THIS AND DEVELOPING A PLAN WITH OUTPUTTING HARD DOLLARS INTO THE PROPOSAL WHICH WE WILL GET IN EXACTLY 7 DAYS.
>> THE CITY REPORTEDLY DEALING WITH ANOTHER SEVEN BUSES OF MIGRANTS THAT ARRIVED YESTERDAY WITH MORE COMING IN TODAY.
>> THEY ARE GOING TO O'HARE AIRPORT, THE POLICE STATIONS ACROSS THE CITY, THE CITY SHELTERS ARE FULL AS THE MAYOR HAS OPENED A NEW SHELTER NEARLY EVERY WEEK THAT HE HAS BEEN IN OFFICE BUT THERE'S SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH SPACE FOR THEM AND THAT'S WHY HE SAID THE CITY NEEDS TO OPEN BASE CAMPS OR TENT CITIES ESSENTIALLY TO HOUSE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOW LIVING IN THE POLICE STATIONS BEFORE THE WEATHER TURNS , WHERE THE TENTS WILL BE AND EXACTLY HOW THEY WILL BE RUN ARE THESE TWO BIG QUESTIONS.
>> SOME ALDER PEOPLE ARE PUSHING BACK AGAINST THE CONTRACT.
ONE ALDERMAN WANTS A VOTES ON WHETHER THEY SHOULD REMAIN IN CENTURY CITY DESPITE THE STRAIN ON CITIES AND SERVICES.
THE DIVISION AND NEIGHBORHOODS.
WITH CITY COUNCIL MAKE THIS CHANGE?
>> NO, FRANKLY.
THE WELCOMING CITY ORDINANCE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH CARING FOR THE MIGRANTS .
THE CITY ORDINANCE MAKING CHICAGO A SANCTUARY, DESIGNED TO PREVENT THE CITY'S POLICE DEPARTMENT AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS FROM WORKING WITH THE FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AGENTS AND DEPORTING PEOPLE SO EVEN IF CHICAGO WASN'T A SELF-DECLARED SANCTUARY CITY THE MIGRANTS WOULD BE HERE AND THIS WOULD BE --.
THE ISSUE IS FRANKLY LARGER THAN THAT.
THIS IS SORT OF SEEN AS A SYMBOLIC MEASURE BY THE ALDERMAN AND OTHER MORE CONSERVATIVE ALDER PEOPLE AS A WAY TO PUSH BACK ON THE SENSE THAT CHICAGO IS WELCOME TO THESE MIGRANTS.
THE MAYOR WAS ASKED ABOUT IT TODAY AND HE SAID CHICAGO WILL BE A WELCOMING CITY AND DON'T FLINCH.
>> THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE HELD A FIELD HEARING ON VIOLENCE AND COOK COUNTY STATES ATTORNEY CALLING THIS A CLOWN SHOW.
>> BASICALLY BECAUSE THEY ARE CALLING CHICAGO A CLOWN SHOW AND CALLING ANY DEMOCRAT RUN THE CITY A CLOWN SHOW.
ONE OF THE PROGRESSIVE PROSECUTORS THEY ARE CALLING CAN FOX A CLOWN SHOW AND SHE'S BARKING BACK.
RESPONDING TO THE GOP JUDICIARY CHAIRMAN.
TRUMP DESPITE THE INDICTMENTS NOT TO INTERESTED IN THE LAWN ORDER ON THAT YOU'RE GOING TO THESE DIFFERENT CITIES TO HOLD THESE HEARINGS .
THEY ARE PRETTY STAGED.
WITNESSES THAT THEY HAVE COME UP TO BE FRIENDLY TO THEIR POINT OF VIEW .
A NICE RUNDOWN OF SOME OF THE LACK OF FACTS AND CLAIMS MADE, IT IS THEIR VIEW THAT THE DEMOCRATIC
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