Sources: CPD chief, former finalist for superintendent, retires

CHICAGO — Ernest Cato III, Chief of the Chicago Police Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism and a veteran of the department for more than three decades, submitted his retirement papers Friday, according to CPD sources.

Cato, 57, joined the CPD in 1992 and was a finalist to become the department’s superintendent in 2020, but Mayor Lori Lightfoot ultimately selected David Brown, the former Dallas police chief.

Cato was promoted last year to oversee the CPD Bureau of Counterterrorism, which includes the department’s gangs and narcotics divisions. Before that, Cato was Deputy Chief of Area 4, which encompasses the department’s Austin, Harrison and Ogden districts, three of the most violent in the city.

Cato could not be reached for comment Friday evening.