The Chicago Police Department’s second-in-command will retire in October, the Tribune learned Friday evening.
First Deputy Superintendent Yolanda Talley’s retirement comes after about six months as the right hand to Superintendent Larry Snelling and less than two months after a drastic reorganization appeared to strip her of virtually all her responsibilities related to the department’s daily operations.
In a written statement, Chicago police confirmed that Talley will retire Oct. 15, while acknowledging her work climbing the ranks to be named the first woman to serve as first deputy superintendent
“We thank her for her three decades of service to our department and our city, and wish her well in the next chapter of her life,” according to the statement.
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.”
A new organizational chart, first reported by the Tribune in July, reassigned the bureaus of patrol, detectives and counterterrorism to report directly to Snelling. Street deputies were put under the supervision of Chief of Patrol Jon Hein and prosecutorial strategies were reassigned to report to the chief of staff for the superintendent, under Snelling’s command.
The first deputy’s office was put in charge of the department’s records division, which is staffed by civilians, its alternate response section, which handles nonemergency calls, its office of community policing and the department’s detached services division, which liaises with other public bodies such as the Office of Emergency Management and Communication.
A Police Department statement characterized the changes as a move to “streamline operations and communications internally.”
Talley, a 30-year veteran of the department, was previously head of the bureau of internal affairs. She is the first Black woman to serve as first deputy superintendent, reporting directly to Snelling. Before internal affairs, Talley was commander of the Austin District (15th) on the West Side.
In February 2022, while Talley was heading up internal affairs, her Lexus was involved in a traffic stop after officers caught a man throwing a bag of heroin out the vehicle’s window. Talley’s niece was driving the car.
In body-worn camera footage previously obtained by the Tribune, Talley’s niece told responding officers, “Don’t even worry about it, cause my auntie’s probably your boss.”
Talley’s niece was not arrested, but the man later faced narcotics charges and ultimately was sentenced to the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Originally Published: September 19, 2025 at 7:05 PM CDT