Eddie Johnson replacement, interim CPD Supt. Beck, swiftly replaces Northwest Side commander

In the wake of Eddie Johnson’s ouster, interim Chicago Police Supt. Charlie Beck wasted little time in changing district-level leadership.

One of Beck’s first moves came Tuesday as he opted to remove Anthony Escamilla from his position as commander of the Grand Central District on the Northwest Side.

Escamilla had come under scrutiny recently — with the city’s Office of the Inspector General recommending he be fired — after he assigned some of the district’s officers to babysit his son, who has special needs, according to an OIG report obtained by the Chicago Tribune.

Anthony Guglielmi, the CPD’s chief spokesman, said Tuesday that, after meeting with members of the department’s command staff, Beck decided to “go in a different direction” and demote Escamilla to a captain position in the department’s inspections unit.

Michael Barz, who has previously served in the CPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau and Ogden District on the West Side, will take over as acting commander effective immediately, Guglielmi said.