Average Police Chief Salary

Job Description for Police Chief

A chief of police is the highest rank of a particular police department. This person gives a general direction to the department and is in charge of reducing crime in the area of assignment. The responsibilities of a chief of police on a day to day basis can include organizing events for the department, gathering, and planning a police response to random events that can occur, coming up with new policies and goals for the department, assigning hours to police offers, making sure that all police offers in the department are performing as they should be, working with the budget for the department, making arrests and writing tickets and citations, working with public relations to address the community when a crime happens, and following all rules under the law.

A chief of police is usually found in their department working at their desk but can also be found on the field. They must be there when a crime happens, and they have to be able to gather their officers and address situations quickly. They have to carry a gun and must prove that they can use it by taking a gun test every year.

To be considered a chief of police, one usually must have a degree in law enforcement and must have been on the field for at least five years. They must be hard-working and willing to lead a group of officers and create a community with low levels of crime. (Copyright 2019 PayScale.com)

• Oversee police department, including training, hiring, and policy creation.
• Manage the budget, including bargaining, negotiations, and tracking software for expenditures.
• Communicate with the public, the media, and local groups.

Police Chief Job Listings

Pay by Experience Level for Police Chief