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Supt. Eddie Johnson Makes A Bold Statement At Community Meeting

CHICAGO (CBS) – Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson made a bold statement on Saturday about the thousands of officers under his command.

CBS 2's Sandra Torres has more.

Superintendent Johnson attends community meetings multiple times during the week. Saturday morning was no exception, though he made some bold statements acknowledging the problems within his department.

"Majority of officers out there that work every day are trying to do their job correctly and professionally. The ones that do not, that is my challenge to get rid of them," Johnson said. "Do we have those type of officers? Yes. Is there racism? Yes, but we cannot fix that until we start to acknowledge."

Those were the superintendent's words to dozens of residents who showed up at the town hall meeting at Clara Barton Elementary School in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood.

Johnson worked as a patrol officer and district commander in that area for 20 years. He said it is one of the best-attended meetings he has ever been to.

Chicago police hope these meetings improve the relationship between the department and the community, especially after the Department of Justice investigation that revealed troublesome patterns and practices within CPD.

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