Chicago mayor rejects top cop picks, names interim

CHICAGO, March 27 (UPI) -- Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has rejected the three finalists suggested for the city's police superintendent position and instead named veteran officer Eddie Johnson to the role in the interim.

The Chicago Police Board suggested three possible replacements for former Superintendent Garry McCarthy -- Eugene Williams, chief of the Chicago Police Department's bureau of support services; Anne Kirkpatrick, an FBI instructor and former Spokane, Wash., police chief; and Cedric Alexander, the public safety director for DeKalb County, Ga. After interviewing each of them, Emanuel rejected them all.

"While each of the finalists had strong qualifications, the mayor did not feel that any of them were the complete package that Chicago needs at this time, and thus none were offered the position," Emanuel spokeswoman Kelley Quinn said. "The mayor called each of them individually late Saturday to let them know of his decision."

Instead, he named Johnson, who is chief of patrol, to the top spot. It's unclear if the mayor intends for Johnson to serve in the position permanently.

Johnson is replacing McCarthy, who resigned in December in the wake of the death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by Officer Jason Van Dyke. McDonald was shot 16 times Oct. 20, 2014, but footage of the shooting wasn't released to the public until Nov. 24, 2015, prompting protests and calls for the resignations of McCarthy and Emanuel.