On Chicago’s Morning Answer, Dan Proft spoke with John Catanzara, president of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, following Mayor Brandon Johnson’s controversial claim that law enforcement and incarceration are a “sickness.”
Catanzara condemned the comments as hypocritical, noting that while Johnson relies on police protection for himself and his family, he publicly disparages the department. “He has always hated us,” Catanzara said, arguing that the mayor’s slip revealed his true views. The FOP leader added that the remark resonated strongly with rank-and-file officers, further damaging morale.
While Catanzara acknowledged that Chicago police will continue doing their jobs—making arrests, taking guns off the street, and protecting citizens—he credited recent declines in crime to stronger prosecution under a new Cook County State’s Attorney and the departure of longtime Chief Judge Tim Evans, rather than the mayor’s policies.
The conversation turned to Police Superintendent Larry Snelling, whom Catanzara praised for boosting morale but criticized for what he described as “blind allegiance” to City Hall. He cited disagreements over the handling of police funerals and high-level appointments, arguing that Snelling has failed to act independently of the mayor. Catanzara called for structural reforms to give future superintendents more security and independence through guaranteed contracts.
On the question of federal intervention, Catanzara said that if the National Guard were deployed to Chicago—as President Trump has suggested—it would be because city leaders had failed. He also blasted “violence interrupters” programs as ineffective and accused city politicians of misleading residents about the root causes of crime.
Catanzara closed by highlighting what he described as Johnson’s hypocrisy: sending his children to an out-of-district school with police escorts, while simultaneously labeling law enforcement as a societal illness.