Fred Waller, the former chief of patrol for the Chicago Police Department, was named as the department’s interim superintendent by Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson, he announced Wednesday.
Waller, 61, retired in August 2020 after spending 34 years in CPD, climbing the ranks from patrol officer to district commander and, ultimately, to chief of patrol, the third-highest rank in the department. He said he’s not applying for the permanent position.
His return comes after the current interim superintendent, Eric Carter, announced his last day will be May 15, which is also the day Johnson will assume office. Carter stepped into the role in March after outgoing Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost re-election by failing to make the runoff, leading her hand-picked superintendent, David Brown, to reasign and return to Texas.
In announcing Waller’s selection, effective May 15, Johnson repeated the most important traits of his leadership picks: caring, collaborative, compassionate and competent.
“Chief Waller has dedicated his career to serving the people of the city of Chicago at virtually every level of the department,” Johnson said. “From patrol officer to third in command, he has the experience and integrity to lead the Chicago Police Department during this pivotal time.”
Johnson also touted that Waller shares his vision for a “safer and stronger Chicago” as well as for “reimagining public safety.”
Waller said he was eager to return to the department during a “crucial moment.”
“If there’s one thing that could bring me out of retirement, it was this opportunity to leave and return to the place that I’ve given so much of my life to understand firsthand the sacrifices that officers make every day to keep our city safe,” Waller said.
Johnson said Waller’s “main responsibility” was the transition period as a permanent leader is sought.
The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability — the body tasked with submitting three finalists for the superintendent job to Johnson by mid-July — has so far hosted three public forums where members of the public outlined for commissioners what they want to see in the next permanent CPD superintendent. Speakers at the forums have overwhelmingly supported the idea of a CPD veteran leading the department next.
Waller was a well-liked and respected member of the command staff before his retirement, and his return to the department will likely be well-received by CPD supervisors, as well as rank-and-file officers.
Shortly before his retirement in 2020, Waller received a 28-day suspension for a comment he made during a meeting at CPD headquarters that included the word “rape,” according to police records. While discussing police deployment strategies, Waller said, “Grope me, don’t rape me.” He said he later apologized for the remark.
Waller addressed those comments to reporters Wednesday, saying he took responsibility but his word were also “taken out of context.”
“There were females in the room, and I’ll be 100% transparent: It was the wrong choice of words,” Waller. “It was an attempt to emphasize how much resources were being taken from patrol, and it was just inappropriate the way I phrased it. It was taken out of context.”
The community commissions positions were created by city ordinance in 2021, but local activists have for decades pushed for greater community input in matters of policing. Each of the city’s 22 police districts now have three elected officials to serve as intermediaries between officers and residents.
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