The three finalists for Chicago Police superintendent: Angel Novalez; Larry Snelling; Shon Barnes. (Credit: Chicago Police Department and Madison Police Department)

Chicago will likely soon learn the name of its next top cop, with the deadline for Mayor Brandon Johnson to make his selection approaching in the coming days.

This weekend will mark the end of Johnson’s 30-day window to pick the next superintendent of the Chicago Police Department from a list of three finalists: Angel Novalez, the head of CPD’s office of constitutional policing and reform; Larry Snelling, the chief of CPD’s counterterrorism bureau; and Shon Barnes, the police chief in Madison, Wisconsin.

More than 50 people initially applied for the role, but these three were chosen as finalists last month by the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability. Once that list was whittled down to three, it kicked off a month-long window for Johnson to make his pick.

Prior to his election earlier this year, Johnson had signaled that he planned to oust then-Superintendent David Brown and replace him with someone who has closer ties to the CPD.

Brown, a Dallas native, subsequently announced he’d be leaving the department for a job back home once incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot — who selected Brown in 2020 — failed to make the April runoff election between Johnson and Paul Vallas.

Snelling and Novalez each have long histories in the CPD, while Barnes spent time working for the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which investigates police misconduct.

Novalez was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Chicago’s Near West Side as a child. He previously helped lead the department’s community policing efforts before taking his role with CPD’s office of constitutional policing and reform.

Barnes served as COPA’s director of training and professional development and worked as the deputy chief of police in Salisbury, North Carolina, before heading to Madison.

Snelling has spent three decades with the CPD, most recently serving as chief of its Bureau of Counterterrorism and as deputy chief in Area 2. Prior to that, he worked as 7th District commander, and as a sergeant in the 22nd District and for recruit training at the Police Academy.

Some city officials have reportedly urged Johnson to select Snelling.

Johnson has been in no rush to make his pick. Last week, the mayor said he was taking a “thorough, deliberate, detailed” approach to making his selection.

“It’s important that we’re intentional and that we take our time so that we make the right decision,” he said during an Aug. 2 news conference.

Johnson also has the ability to set aside the three finalists and restart the search, though he’s given no indication he plans to do so.

Heather Cherone contributed to this report.

Contact Matt Masterson: @ByMattMasterson | [email protected] | (773) 509-5431