A Chicago City Council panel has voted to temporarily change the selection process for police superintendent. That way Mayor Rahm Emanuel can avoid the usual procedures and appoint a longtime member of the department as its next leader.
Last month, Emanuel rejected the police board's candidates and chose Eddie Johnson for the job. Emanuel appointed the black Chicago native as interim chief after firing Garry McCarthy amid fallout from the release of a 2014 video showing a white officer fatally shooting a black teenager.
Johnson is a popular choice with the council's Black Caucus, which had urged Emanuel to pick an African American.
After temporarily changing the code, the Committee on Public Safety is considering a recommendation to appoint Johnson. The full council is expected to vote Wednesday.
