How to Become a City Police Chief
A police chief is sort of like a CEO, except that he leads a municipal police department rather than a company. This requires that he have policing experience as well as managerial skills and leadership abilities. If you dream of one day being in charge of a city's entire police department, you have a long road ahead of you unless you happen to already have substantial law enforcement experience. Through hard work and dedication, you can make your dream a reality.
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Instructions
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Enroll in a bachelor's degree program that will prepare you for a career in policing. Criminal justice and police administration are two such possibilities. While a college degree is not a requirement to become a police officer (which you must do on your way to the top), you'll likely need it to advance into leadership positions.
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Complete the degree, all the while gaining experience by either volunteering or interning for your local police department or your institution's campus law enforcement unit. Offer yourself for any tasks or responsibilities that become available, so you can gain as much experience as possible in as many areas of law enforcement as possible.
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Enroll in the police academy if the state where you live allows individuals to openly enroll. Some states require individuals to be employed by a law enforcement agency as a condition to enrollment. If this is the case where you live, look for a position in a law enforcement agency that doesn't require having gone through the police academy, a position such as dispatcher or clerk.
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Pass all requirements of the police academy. This will include a variety of written exams that will test your knowledge of standard operating procedures and criminal law as well as a physical fitness test. You'll also have to demonstrate your proficiency at defensive techniques and firearms use.
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Work your way up the ranks. You'll start off as a rookie police officer and be promoted, based on how well you do your job, to corporal, then sergeant, lieutenant, captain and deputy chief. The latter position is essentially the chief of police's second-in-command.
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Enroll in and graduate from a graduate program at a college or university that will prepare you to lead a department. While serving in different ranks will allow you to get a good understanding of how a police department works, you'll benefit from formal training on management and leadership. Some possible areas of study might be public administration, organizational leadership and criminal justice management.
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Join a professional association for law enforcement personnel, such as the Professional Law Enforcement Association. A number of smaller associations that cover specific states or regions also exist. Becoming a member allows you to network with people who could serve as your mentors, as well as give you more opportunities to learn about open chief-of-police positions.
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Identify open chief-of-police positions by networking and reading specialized magazines and journals for law enforcement personnel. Apply to the positions you feel you are qualified for, and prepare yourself for a rigorous interview process if selected as a finalist.
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