Anthony Driver Jr., the first president of the city’s Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, announced this week that he will soon step down as head of the body that oversees the leaders of the Chicago Police Department and two oversight agencies.
The announcement came Thursday, weeks after Driver declared his candidacy to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Danny Davis. Driver, a political strategist and executive director of the SEIU Illinois State Council, will continue to serve as a CCPSA commissioner.
“The work of the Commission has always been bigger than one person,” Driver said in a statement. “It has been an honor to serve as the first President, and I look forward to continuing to serve as Commissioner alongside my colleagues as we continue to build on this important foundation.”
Driver and the other inaugural group of commissioners were appointed in 2022 by Mayor Lori Lightfoot. The CCPSA, led by Driver and Vice President Remel Terry, oversees the superintendent of CPD, the chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, as well as the president of the Chicago Police Board.
The commission hosted meetings across the city in 2023 to solicit feedback from residents about the then-vacant police superintendent position, ultimately recommending Larry Snelling for the job.
Earlier this year, CCPSA commissioners moved to hold a vote of no-confidence in former COPA Chief Administrator Andrea Kersten amid “concerns about your leadership and judgment and the impact they have had on COPA.”
Kersten later resigned and, in recent months, COPA has been led on an interim basis by LaKenya White, a 25-year veteran of Chicago’s police oversight apparatus.
