What a nice guy

CPD Supt. Johnson found slumped over in vehicle near his Bridgeport home

A department spokesman said the superintendent — who’s had kidney issues for years — had recently changed his medication.

By Sam Charles Updated Oct 17, 2019, 7:34pm CDT


Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson Sun-Times file photo


Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson was found slumped over in his vehicle near his Bridgeport home early Thursday, a CPD spokesman confirmed.

Johnson was discovered in his vehicle around 12:30 a.m. Thursday near the 3400 block of South Aberdeen, according to CPD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.

Guglielmi said Johnson had recently changed his medication after a visit to the doctor earlier this week. The doctor had switched Johnson’s medication, and the superintendent threw out his initial prescription but didn’t replace it with the new one.

The superintendent had worked a normal day Wednesday and went out to dinner with friends that night, Guglielmi said. On his way home, he pulled over to the side of the road and someone saw him in the vehicle and called 911.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Johnson said he dismissed his driver after dinner, allowing him to go home to tend to his young family.

“Should I have had a driver with me last night? Yes, I should have,” Johnson said.

Police and Chicago Fire Department personnel responded, and Johnson was able to drive himself home, according to police.

Guglielmi said Johnson did not exhibit any signs of intoxication, and the superintendent has asked the department’s Bureau of Internal Affairs to open its own investigation. No Breathalyzer test was administered by the responding officers.

“Whether you’re a probationary police officer or the superintendent, every one of us is held to the highest standard,” Guglielmi said.

Johnson has had a kidney condition for decades and underwent a transplant with his son, Daniel, also a CPD officer, two years ago.

Johnson was diagnosed with glomerulonephritis, a kidney condition, about 35 years ago when he was in the Chicago Police Academy.

The condition was revealed publicly only after Johnson fell ill during a press conference. In August 2017, Johnson underwent a successful kidney transplant with his son.

Earlier this year, he was hospitalized for a blood clot. Johnson said Thursday that he’d be going to an emergency room “just to make sure everything’s OK” after a meeting of the Chicago Police Board.