Where Do You Start if You Want to be a Police Chief?

Instead of Where Maybe it Should be When

Maybe the question shouldn’t be where do you start.  Instead, it should probably be when do you start?

I’m not sure about most police officers, but when I first got into law enforcement I had no clue about what I wanted to do.  I was just happy to have a job and spent quite a few years just figuring out my place in the department.

After I had been with the Marietta Police Department for a few years, I thought about what I needed to do to get promoted to Sergeant.  It took 10 years for me to achieve that goal and then another four years to make Lieutenant.

I first thought of my career goal after making lieutenant.  So basically, I spent the first 15 years of my career with no thought of being a police chief.

So, let’s get back to the original question.  Where do you start?

Right where you are.

Let’s get to my alternate question now.  When do you start?

Right now!

If you are a police officer, sergeant or lieutenant you obviously have more time to prepare for that future police chief job opportunity than someone who is already on the command staff of a department.

Regardless of rank, the place to start is where you are and the time to start is right now. Share on X

You’ve made the decision to start right now, today.  What do you do now?

There are many factors that contribute to improving the odds of someone getting a job as a police chief.  Some of those factors are in your control and others are not.  Still, others are critical, must-haves that almost every police chief needs.

Let’s look at four of those critical needs.

Get Your Master’s Degree

When I first got into law enforcement, very few police officers or even police chiefs had a degree.  That is not the case today.  An undergraduate degree is now as common as a high school degree was back then.

Almost every police chief job advertisement seeks a candidate with a degree and most prefer a Master’s Degree.  All things being equal, you don’t want to miss a job opportunity because you don’t have a Master’s Degree.  That would be tragic.

I should know. It happened to me.

Under the leadership of Chief Bobby Moody, the Marietta Police Department instituted educational requirements for promotion.  We emphasized the importance of higher education and provided adjustments to schedules to accommodate school attendance.

I went back to college and received a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Kennesaw State University.  I started working on my Masters of Public Administration in 2006 just before Chief Moody announced his retirement.

Although I was one of the finalists for the job, another candidate outside the department was selected.  I eventually spoke with the City Manager and he said he couldn’t see giving the job to someone that didn’t have a Master’s Degree.

Don’t let this happen to you.

If you have been out of school for years, it is not too late to go back and get that advanced degree.  I guarantee you won’t regret it.  However, you might regret not doing it one day.

Work Diverse Assignments

A good police chief candidate will have a resume which includes diverse work assignments.  It is easy to find an assignment we like and do everything we can to stay in that assignment, even when we are promoted.  However, you might be sacrificing long-term gains for short-term rewards.

City Managers and Mayors who hire police chiefs look for candidates who have broad law enforcement experience and are prepared to manage the entire organization and not just one facet of it.

I worked in uniform patrol, investigations, and administration throughout my career.  The most critical assignment I ever had was when I managed our budget.  Budget management is an important skill sought in police chief candidates.

Experience managing a budget is like gold for a police chief candidate.

Attend a Command School

Almost every police chief job advertisement seeks candidates who have attended a command school.  The three most common include Northwestern School of Police Staff and Command, Southern Police Institute Administrative Officers Course and the FBI National Academy.  There are many other regional command schools across the country that may substitute for one of these.

Attending one of these schools is certainly a commitment since they are at least 10 weeks long.  However, the future payoff is certainly worth it.

Of course, I believe the FBI National Academy should be your first choice for a couple of reasons.  One is I graduated from the 193^rd session of the FBINA so I guess I am biased.  The second reason is it is probably the most recognizable command school and is listed on most job announcements.

Become an Effective Communicator

I am an introvert by nature.  Yet my job as a police chief requires me to speak publicly and communicate effectively on a routine basis.  Although I am not a great speaker even today, I am certainly a more effective communicator after many years of experience.

In law enforcement, we learn to communicate through experience, most of which happens on the road while answering calls.  Most police officers do not have regular opportunities to speak to different groups.

We might even attend some basic communication training but rarely anything more.

As an aspiring law enforcement leader and potential future police chief, take advantage of every opportunity to speak to a group throughout your career.  It may mean more work and some time away from home, but that experience will pay off later.

In addition, seek out opportunities for additional training in the area of effective communication and public speaking.

After joining the Marietta Police Department, Chief Bobby Moody mandated that every supervisor attend the Dale Carnegie Course: Effective Communications and Human Relations.  This class laid the foundation for our success as leaders.

This list is not an exhaustive one.  I could easily list a dozen more things aspiring police chief candidates can do that would help them prepare for that future opportunity.  However, the four critical factors discussed will certainly get you started in the right direction.

If you would like to receive regular updates from Top Cop Leadership, including the weekly Top Cop Leadership 5 x 5 Digest, please sign up below.