Newark Police Director Garry McCarthy has been tapped as Chicago Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel's choice to be the city's new police superintendent.
Emanuel made the announcement Monday with McCarthy at his side.
McCarthy is taking over a department that has suffered from morale problems under former superintendent Jody Weis, who came to the job after working at the FBI and was considered an outsider.
McCarthy is an outsider too but he has years of big-city police experience after working in Newark and New York City. McCarthy has headed the Newark department since 2006.
According to the The Ward Room blog, McCarthy was considered a front-runner for the position thanks to his street cop background and experience with CompStat, a four-step process that helped reduce homicide rates in New York City.
Weis left the superintendent's job earlier this year when his contract ended.
Emanuel on Monday also announced that Chicago Fire Commissioner Robert Hoff will remain in that post.
