Chief of police

A chief of police (COP) is an appointed official or an elected one in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. A chief of police may also be known as a police chief or sometimes just a chief, while some countries favour other titles such as commissioner or chief constable. A police chief is appointed by and answerable to a state or local government.

Duties

The precise role of a chief of police varies by country and sometimes within a country. The larger a police force or department, the more likely that some duties will be delegated to mid-ranked officers. The following list is a general sense of the actions and responsibilities held by any chief of police.

Oversight of a department's operations and budgeting

Oversight of officers

Limited disciplinary actions to be addressed on infractions of policy, rules, regulations, laws or ordinances

Full dismissal or heavy sanctioning of officer duty; these powers vary by department

Promotion and rank placement of officers

Production and development of department policies and regulations

Liaison with the governments that oversee and fund the department

In small police departments, upkeep and updating of department equipment such as police vehicles, weapons, communications equipment and uniforms

In the smallest police departments, the chief may also carry out the same duties as regular officers (patrol, investigations, etc.)

Police chiefs are usually sworn police officers, and therefore wear police uniforms and have the power of arrest, though there are exceptions. In practice, their work is administrative in all but the smallest police departments. The rare occasions when police chiefs make arrests have drawn media coverage. In 2014, Bernard Hogan-Howe chased a group of fare evaders and made an arrest.