The 4 Pillars Of Change: What Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling Is Doing Right Now (2025 Update)

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The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is currently undergoing one of its most critical periods of reform and strategic change, led by Superintendent Larry Snelling. Appointed in September 2023, Snelling is not just a new face but a CPD veteran who has risen from the streets of the South Side to the department's top job, bringing a vision focused on internal support and external trust. This article provides a deep dive into his leadership, his groundbreaking 2025 strategic plan, and the tangible results seen in the city’s latest crime statistics.

As of late 2025, Superintendent Snelling's tenure is defined by his "Strategy for Organizational Excellence," a comprehensive three-year plan designed to overhaul the department's culture and operational effectiveness. His focus on rebuilding the workforce while simultaneously strengthening community bonds is the core of Chicago's current public safety strategy, aiming to move the CPD toward full compliance with the federal consent decree and achieve sustainable violence reduction.

Superintendent Larry Snelling: Biography and Career Profile

Larry B. Snelling is the 64th Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, a role he officially began after receiving unanimous support from the City Council in September 2023. His journey through the department is a testament to his deep-rooted connection to the city he now serves.

  • Full Name: Larry B. Snelling
  • Current Title: Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD)
  • Appointment Date: Confirmed in September 2023
  • Hometown & Education: Raised on the South Side of Chicago and is a product of Chicago Public Schools, graduating from Englewood High School.
  • CPD Start Date: Joined the Chicago Police Department in 1992 at the age of 22.
  • Early Career: His first assignment was as a patrol officer in the Englewood community, the very neighborhood where he attended high school.
  • Key Prior Roles: Snelling rose steadily through the ranks, serving in various capacities including a significant period training recruits at the Police Academy. Immediately prior to his appointment as Superintendent, he served as the Chief of the Bureau of Counterterrorism.
  • Vision: His leadership is characterized by a "back to basics" approach, prioritizing officer wellness and mental health as a foundational element for improving public safety.

The Four Foundations of the 2025 CPD Strategic Plan

Superintendent Snelling's leadership is anchored by the "Strategy for Organizational Excellence," a three-year plan that outlines the Chicago Police Department's public safety efforts and reform trajectory. This plan is built on four critical foundations, which serve as a roadmap for modernizing the CPD and achieving sustainable success.

1. Building, Supporting, and Developing Our Workforce

This foundation addresses the internal health of the police department. Recognizing that effective policing starts with a healthy and well-trained workforce, Snelling has made officer support a top priority.

  • Officer Wellness: A major focus is placed on the mental health and well-being of officers, recognizing the intense psychological strain of police work in a major metropolitan area.
  • Recruitment and Retention: The plan includes strategies to encourage the retention of experienced officers while modernizing recruitment to attract a diverse workforce that reflects the community's demographics.
  • Training Excellence: Snelling, with his background in the Police Academy, emphasizes enhanced and continual training to ensure officers are prepared for the complexities of modern policing.

2. Community Trust

Rebuilding and strengthening the relationship between the CPD and Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods is essential for long-term safety. This pillar operationalizes community-focused policing as a formal goal.

  • Collaboration: The department is committed to a department-wide approach to community policing, emphasizing trust and collaboration in public safety efforts.
  • Input Sessions: Comprehensive community input sessions are being launched to gather feedback and ensure that policing strategies are aligned with neighborhood needs and priorities.

3. Neighborhood Safety

The core mission of reducing violence and crime remains paramount. This foundation focuses on data-driven strategies and targeted enforcement to make communities safer.

  • Violence Reduction: The CPD is implementing new strategies to combat gun violence and address the root causes of crime in high-risk areas.
  • Data-Informed Deployment: Utilizing advanced analytics to deploy resources more effectively and proactively address emerging crime patterns across the city.
  • Targeted Enforcement: Focusing on repeat offenders and areas with the highest rates of violent crime to maximize impact on public safety.

4. Organizational Excellence and Accountability

This pillar is dedicated to internal reform, modernization, and ensuring the department operates with transparency and accountability, particularly in response to the federal consent decree.

  • Consent Decree Compliance: The CPD continues to work on achieving full compliance with the federal consent decree, a mandate for sweeping police reform. While full compliance is a long-term goal, the department has shown continued growth in key areas like use of force and community engagement.
  • Modernization: This includes modernizing technology, hiring more civilians for specialized roles, and streamlining administrative processes to free up sworn officers for patrol duties.
  • Transparency: Increased efforts to ensure transparent data collection and reporting, which is critical for both public trust and compliance with reform efforts.

The Impact: Latest Chicago Crime Statistics Under Snelling (2025)

One of the most compelling measures of Superintendent Snelling's early tenure is the tangible shift in Chicago's crime landscape. The latest preliminary data for 2025 shows a significant and encouraging downward trend in key crime categories, suggesting the new strategic focus is beginning to yield results.

The overall violent crime in the city has seen a substantial reduction compared to the previous year, offering a positive counter-narrative to claims that crime is out of control.

  • Violent Crime Reduction: Overall violent crime in Chicago so far in 2025 is reported to be down by approximately 23% compared to the same period in 2024.
  • Property Crime Reduction: Property crime has also seen a noticeable drop, decreasing by about 11%. Vehicle thefts, a persistent issue, have also declined.
  • Homicide Trends (2025 vs. 2024): Murder rates have continued their downward trend. For the period of January 1 to September 30, the number of murders saw a significant year-over-year decrease:
    • 2025: 323 murders
    • 2024: 450 murders

While all crime statistics are preliminary and subject to further analysis, these figures indicate that the focus on organizational excellence, community engagement, and targeted violence reduction strategies are contributing to a safer environment. The challenge for Superintendent Snelling and the CPD remains sustaining this progress, continuing to improve consent decree compliance, and strengthening the department's ranks through innovative recruitment and retention efforts. The current trajectory, however, suggests a promising future for policing in Chicago.

The 4 Pillars of Change: What Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling is Doing Right Now (2025 Update)
chicago chief of police
chicago chief of police

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