Police commissioner
Police Commissioner (or Commissioner of Police) is the title of the chief officer of many law enforcement agencies. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a professional chief of police in charge of day-to-day operations. Usually, however, the commissioner is the professional head of the organization.[citation needed]
Commissioner is the title given to the chief officer of The City of London Police. In Canada, the highest ranking officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and of the Ontario Provincial Police holds the rank of Commissioner.
In some U.S. states, the sheriff fills the same function as a police commissioner. For example in Las Vegas, Nevada the elected county sheriff heads a combined county-municipal Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. The agency was created via a merger of the Sheriff's Office and the former municipal Police Department.
In the police of France and other French-speaking countries, Commissaire (Commissioner) is a lower rank equating approximately to the British police rank of Superintendent.
In the Romanian Police, similarly to the French Police, the rank of Comisar is equivalent to the British police rank of Superintendent (see also Romanian Police Ranks).
Popular Culture
- One of the most famous fictional police commissioners is Commissioner James Gordon, ally of the Batman.
- Pierre Niémans, played by Jean Reno, in the movie Crimson Rivers (Les Rivières Pourpres) is a Police Commissioner (Commissaire). However, in the novel, he is a Superintendent.
- Stewart McMillan (Rock Hudson) was the police commissioner for the City of San Francisco in the NBC television network’s crime drama, McMillan and Wife.
- Abe Carver, television's longest running African-American character, is the Police Commissioner of the town of Salem in Days of our Lives
See also
- Sheriff
- Chief Constable (UK)
- Chief of police (United States & Canada)
- Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis (Greater London)
- Commissioner of Police for the City of London
- Commissioner of Police (Hong Kong)
- Commissioner of Police (Singapore)
- Commissioner of Police (Mumbai)
- Commissioner of Police (New Delhi)
- Police Commissioner (New York City)