In the NYPD, inspectors command divisions, which may be groups of precincts within a borough or specialized branches of the police service. 'Inspector' is also used as a term for 'detective' in the San Francisco Police Department but is two ranks above captain in the NYPD and the Philadelphia Police Department. Inspector/ commander: Sometimes have an insignia of a single star, analogous to brigadier generals, but in other areas wear a gold or silver eagle, similar to a colonel.In some Sheriff's Offices, the rank of Assistant Sheriff exists, below the Undersheriff, but still above Commander and other ranks. The New York City Sheriff's Office has five undersheriffs: each one is responsible for a borough of New York City, with the Sheriff of the City of New York overseeing all of them. In some places the undersheriff is the warden of the county jail. Deputy chief of police/deputy commissioner/deputy superintendent/ chief deputy/Assistant Sheriff: The top subordinate of the chief of police, commissioner, superintendent, or sheriff may or may not have a specific area of responsibility.

In New York City, assistant chiefs head borough commands. Assistant chief of police/ Undersheriff/ assistant commissioner/ assistant superintendent: Only seen in some departments.

In contrast, sheriffs in the United States are usually elected officials, one in each county, who head the sheriff's department (or sheriff's office). There may be a chief of operations who is second in command to the top-ranking chief. In very large departments, such as the New York City Police Department, there may be several non-police officer deputy and assistant commissioners, some of whom outrank the chief of department and others on par with the uniformed chief. In some cities, 'commissioner' is the member of the board of officials in charge of the department, while a 'chief' is the top uniformed officer answering to the commissioner or commission. Chief of police/ commissioner of police/ superintendent/ sheriff: The title commissioner of police is used mainly by large metropolitan departments, while chief of police is associated with small and medium-sized municipalities both are typically appointed by a mayor or selected by the city council or commission.

Ranks Īlthough the large and varied number of federal, state, and local police and sheriff's departments have different ranks, a general model, from highest to lowest rank, would be: A uniform system of insignia based on that of the US Army and Marine Corps is used to help identify an officer's seniority. The United States police-rank model is generally quasi-military in structure. Structure of status and authority among police units in the USA Law enforcement

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