*Chicago’s newly elected Black and openly lesbian mayor does not want the Chicago Police Department to handle her security detail.
Instead, Lori Lightfoot has hired a private company to have her back, noting that “it’s a very dangerous time” in the U.S.
Retired Deputy U.S. Marshal James Smith, a managing partner at Silver Star Protection Group, will head up the mayor’s security team, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The publication notes that the team will include several retired law enforcement officials from any agency besides the Chicago Police Department.
OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: Fired New Hampshire Lunch Lady Accused of Cover-up, School District Rescinds Job Offer
Now taking center stage is Mayor-elect Lori E. Lightfoot to receive the Oath of Office administered by the Honorable Susan E. Cox. #ChicagoInaugural pic.twitter.com/8SZf4hl464
— Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) May 20, 2019
Via the Tribune:
Lightfoot previously co-chaired the city’s Task Force on Police Accountability after 2014’s fatal police shooting of Laquan McDonald. The task force issued a decidedly negative report on the city police, intimating that Chicago police officers had violated civil rights during arrests.
The Sun Times spoke with one of Lightfoot’s aides about the move, and when asked if there was a heightened threat level for the mayor, the aide responded, “Just think about it. It’s a very dangerous time in our country.”
Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson offered this comment about the mayor distancing herself from his department.
“We don’t really comment on executive protection, but at the end of the day, the mayor has to be comfortable with her detail,” Johnson said. “This is her police department now.”
But Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President Kevin Graham has made it clear that the organization is not pleased with Lightfoot’s decision to exclude local police.
“For as long as anyone can remember, Chicago Police have provided the security for the mayor of this city,” Graham told the Sun Times. “They have done an outstanding job, no matter who was the mayor.”
He added, “Those jobs are done by the Chicago Police officers, and we at the FOP intend to keep it that way.”
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
