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High-ranking Chicago cop in hot water with Lightfoot for taking vacation as summer violence spikes

CPD says Anthony Riccio’s vacation from June 1-7 was “approved and paid for in October” prior to the mayoral election. But Lightfoot says she gave an edict that none of the top brass take time off during the summer. 

By Fran Spielman  Jun 14, 2019, 2:15pm

First Deputy Police Superintendent Anthony Riccio at a news conference with now-former Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

AP Photos

The No. 2 man in the Chicago Police Department is in hot water with Mayor Lori

Lightfoot for taking a family vacation approved and paid for months ago but now in violation of the mayor’s edict that none of the top brass take time off during the violent summer months.

Lightfoot refused to say whether First Deputy Superintendent Anthony Riccio’s job was in jeopardy after he took a trip during the first week of June. But it sure sounds like it.

“That would be incredibly disappointing to me if that happened because I gave a very specific directive that no exempt should be taking vacation during the summer,” Lightfoot told reporters at an unrelated event Friday. 

“If that happened, that’ll be something that we have to have a serious conversation about,” she said

Pressed on whether she would remove Riccio, Lightfoot said, “I need to know more details before I can even go down that path. But exempts have to set the example. And the example of doing something that the mayor has directed them not to do is highly problematic.”

Lightfoot did not say precisely when she issued the ban on summer vacation by members of CPD’s exempt ranks. But it was clearly delivered after her April 2 victory and possibly after she took office on May 20.

Less than an hour later, Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi confirmed the mayor’s fears.

“The First Deputy Superintendent had a June 2019 family vacation that was approved and paid for in October of 2018, prior to the mayoral transition,” Guglielmi wrote in an email to the Sun-Times.

“Supt. Johnson approved the First Deputy taking this time off given arrangements were previously approved.”

It’s unclear whether Lightfoot expected police brass to cancel previously scheduled vacations.

Sources said the trip — reportedly to Aruba — took place June 1–7 and that the first deputy was “in town and working” on Memorial Day weekend and “through the following week.”