Editorial: It would have been good to see Chicago top cop Larry Snelling address the public after horrific Loop slayings

Two teen boys were shot dead in the middle of the day Friday as they left their high school in the heart of the Loop.

Even by the standards of what passes these days for public safety in Chicago, the drive-by killings were shocking. Foot traffic in the Loop still isn’t close to what it was pre-pandemic, but this remains a well-trafficked strip. It’s one of the city’s historic retail areas, Jewelers Row. It’s also home to Innovations High School, a charter school attended by 450 students.

Given where the brazen attack took place, amateurs were there to capture the moment; there were harrowing photos and videos of the aftermath posted online. The trauma felt by fellow students who were there was palpable.

As we write, those who did this are still at large.

In such moments in the past, we’ve seen Chicago’s police superintendent make a public appearance, either in a news conference at headquarters or a media appearance at the scene.

So where was Larry Snelling?

Some Chicagoans might not yet know the name of the new police chief, given the low profile he’s kept since Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed him in August.

Johnson issued a short statement extending his condolences to the families of the dead students, 17-year-old Monterio Williams and 16-year-old Robert Boston, and the school’s community. Snelling left it to Deputy Chief Jon Hein to answer reporters’ questions soon after the incident.

This strikes us as a missed opportunity. In the midst of this anguish and outrage, Snelling should have been on hand to answer questions if only to reinforce for the public that he’s the man in charge and that this horrific incident rises to a level demanding his direct attention.

That, of course, wouldn’t have changed the pain the families felt or the shock experienced by the students who saw their classmates shot dead. But it would signal that our new police superintendent understands that this especially brazen and visible action was worth underscoring among all the other violent crimes causing Chicago’s public intense concern. Residents want to feel they can walk the streets of their neighborhoods safely, and that includes the central business district. They want to know their kids can go to school — in the heart of the city or anywhere else — without fearing they will be shot.

Snelling has a big, crucially important job. We certainly don’t think he needs to be present after every shooting, horrifying as they all are. Unfortunately, though, the fact that, between Snelling and the mayor, a short statement was what they collectively deemed a sufficient response to the broad-daylight gunning down of teens in the heart of Chicago sends the message that this is what we as a city have come to expect.

Showing up also would have given Snelling a way to make himself more visible. Police superintendents in the past have been familiar names and faces, usually when tragedy strikes. Their styles have run the gamut from Rahm Emanuel’s first police chief, Garry McCarthy, who clearly was extremely comfortable in front of a camera, to Lori Lightfoot’s top cop, David Brown, who was less visible but still well known to most residents.

Coincidentally, Snelling is scheduled to speak Wednesday before the Economic Club of Chicago. That’s an excellent step. The business community is alarmed at the state of public safety in Chicago. It was the No. 1 reason Ken Griffin gave for moving the headquarters of Citadel to Miami in 2022.

But we’d like to see Snelling become a household name for the public at large. There is no more important issue to Chicago’s future than making it a safer place to live, work and play.

Let’s get to know you better, Superintendent Snelling.

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