Ex-Chief Johnson, aide added to Chicago's 'do not hire' list

Former Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson and former Law Department spokesman Bill McCaffrey were both fired by Mayor Lori Lightfoot in December.

Now they have something else in common: Both have been added to the city's do-not-hire list.

It's the personnel equivalent of a scarlet letter that bars them from being hired by the city and raises a red flag for any private employer. That's particularly true for Johnson, who might otherwise land a job in corporate security.

The 29-page list of untouchables, released to the Chicago Sun-Times in response to a Freedom of Information request, includes 689 names. More than 100 of those have been added in the nine months since Lightfoot took office. All are listed as "ineligible to rehire" for a period defined as "indefinite."

For Johnson, the reason is listed as "retirement-under inquiry." For McCaffrey, the reason is listed as "discharge."

Johnson could not be reached for comment, but his attorney, Tom Needham, said the designation was "completely unnecessary, mean-spirited and serves no purpose other than to demean and hurt a good man who had a fine career."

McCaffrey refused to comment.

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