One day before announcing his retirement, Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling on Tuesday promoted Antoinette Ursitti, chief of detectives for the Chicago Police Department, to first deputy superintendent.
“During her time as the Chief of the Bureau of Detectives, she has led efforts to strengthen investigations as CPD seeks justice for victims and families affected by violence and crime,” Snelling said in a statement Tuesday. “First Deputy Superintendent Ursitti is a purpose-driven leader who prioritizes the well-being of her fellow CPD members and the people of Chicago. She will oversee day-to-day operations across the department and step into her new role with more than two decades of experience across many areas of CPD.”
Appointed chief of detectives in 2023, Ursitti has overseen the bureau of about 1,200 detectives during a period when the department’s homicide clearance rate climbed to 74% through the end of May 2026, according to CPD.
Ursitti previously served as deputy chief of CPD’s Training and Support Group and commander of the Crisis Intervention Team. She holds a doctorate in education in ethical leadership from Olivet Nazarene University, a master’s degree in human services and counseling from National Louis University and a bachelor’s degree in communications from Loyola University Chicago, according to a CPD press release. She is licensed in the state of Illinois as a professional counselor.
Kevin Bruno, the current deputy chief of detectives, will assume the position of chief over the bureau. Bruno was previously the commander of Belmont Area (Area 3) detectives and also worked as a lieutenant in the Harrison (11th) District.
Snelling also announced new commanders in several patrol districts — Grand Crossing (3rd), Ogden (10th), Shakespeare (14th) and Austin (15th) — as well as a new deputy chief of the Grand Central Area (Area 5), a new commander of Wentworth Area (Area 1) detectives and a new commander of CPD’s special events section.
The first deputy superintendent position has remained vacant since the October 2025 retirement of Yolanda Talley, the first woman to serve in the position in CPD’s history.
Snelling took 17 months to name a first deputy after taking the helm of the police department in September 2023. In an interview with the Tribune reflecting on his first year as top cop, with the position still vacant, Snelling said he’d taken on most of the first deputy responsibilities himself with help from the department chiefs, saying he wanted to learn by “diving into the deep end of the pool.”
Before Talley’s retirement, Snelling moved to curtail the responsibilities of the first deputy, which, historically, oversaw CPD’s day-to-day operations.
After a new organizational chart was produced in July 2025, the first deputy’s office now supervises CPD’s records division, which is staffed by civilians; its alternate response section, which handles nonemergency calls; its Office of Community Policing; and CPD’s Detached Services division, which liaises with other public bodies like the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
