Chief of Police
The Basics
A Chief of Police (sometimes called a Police Commissioner instead) is the highest-ranking police officer in a police department. In most areas, police chiefs are either appointed by the local government or hired through a normal job search process. But in Louisiana and a few other places, smaller municipalities elect police chiefs directly.
A police chief runs their department, but exactly what that means can vary hugely depending on the size of the city, town or village they police. In the smallest towns, the police chief might be a one-person department, responding to calls and utilizing volunteers when extra hands are needed. In larger cities, a chief might oversee hundreds of officers and several departments; in situations like this, the role of a chief is mostly administrative and doesn’t involve traditional police work like making arrests and conducting investigations.
All police chiefs have a few duties in common:
- Acting as the liaison between the police department and the municipal government
The police chief might negotiate with the Mayor and Council about the police budget, public safety policies, and political issues involving the police - Disciplining officers
Sometimes chiefs have a lot of leeway on discipline, but in some cities there’s an independent oversight body that also weighs in on serious cases - Data collection
Research has found that police chiefs have a lot of power to decide what kind of data gets collected about the department’s actions, including data around misconduct and officer-involved shootings - Officer training
Exactly how involved chiefs are can vary a lot, but in smaller departments chiefs often set the tone or even train officers directly
If you care about policing, public safety, or criminal justice reform, your local Police Chief is an especially important official to know about, but their decisions impact your entire community.
Sources: the American Academy of Political and Social Science Journal; Public Wise Research
How can I make my voice heard?
Vote (duh)
Turnout in local elections is often pretty low. If your Chief of Police is elected, that means your vote can make a real difference. Get informed and choose your candidate – tune into debates, attend a town hall, and see what your local newspaper has to say. You can even reach out to them directly to learn more – start with their campaign website.
Oversight
Many cities have some kind of board or commission that oversees the police department. These groups are usually made up of regular citizens, sometimes elected and sometimes appointed by the mayor or city council, and you can get involved – call or write your local officials, file a complaint if you have a specific issue you need resolved, or join the board directly by applying or running for office.
What have Chiefs of Police done?
Police chiefs have the power to influence a lot in your community, from major policy decisions to everyday interactions with the public. Here are just a few examples of actions that have made a big impact:
- Bruce Lemelle
Louisiana
Became a one-person department after the town of Elton was forced to lay off all its other officers due to budget cuts and funding shortages; in response, Chief Lemelle started working with the parish’s Sheriff’s office to respond to calls - Randy Fandal
Louisiana
Successfully lobbied the Slidell City Council to approve extra funding for police pensions, over the objections of the city’s Mayor - Bob Smith
Louisiana
Named Louisiana Law Enforcement Officer of the Year in recognition of his 20 years of service leading the Forest Police Department: during his time in office, he helped establish the village’s court system, secured grants for new police cars, and improved traffic safety around schools
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Troy Dufresne served as Chief of Police in the small town of Golden Meadow, Louisiana, from 2020 to 2024. He ran for re-election, but lost by nine votes to Michelle Lafont, the first woman elected to the position. The day after learning the results, state investigators allege, he accessed the secure computer system that Golden Meadow’s police department shared with the parish sheriff’s office, and began deleting records. Investigators found that he continued deleting records throughout his last two months in office, eventually compromising over 12 years’ worth – including citations, theft complaints, warrants, payroll and overtime sheets, taser use reports, and more – and told an officer working under him that they would have to “memorize anything they needed” after he was gone.
Lafont says she encountered a problem her first day on the job, when she attempted to access the department’s payroll system and encountered a blank screen. She initially contacted the sheriff’s office, which got the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation involved. In August of 2025, Dufresne was arrested and charged with malfeasance in office, injuring public records, and computer tampering; according to investigators, he admitted to deleting the records and did not immediately enter a plea. Some of the deleted files were eventually restored, with the help of IT professionals hired by the sheriff’s office, and officers were forced to keep handwritten records in the meantime. The shared system is still in use, and it’s unclear what the long-term impact of the incident will be on pending criminal cases. The case underscores the importance of responsible records management, a low-profile but crucial responsibility of law enforcement officials, and the power police chiefs have over their fellow officers and the community they serve.
Sources: the Lafourche Gazette; the New Orleans Times-Picayune; Louisiana Illuminator; WBRZ 2 ABC News
How does it work in my state?
Scroll down and click on your state to learn more about the specifics of a chief of police’s powers and responsibilities where you live. (If your state isn’t here yet, check back often – we’re adding more info all the time. If your state doesn’t elect chiefs of police, it won’t appear here.)
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Term limits: varies by village, town or city – some have none, others have limits of two or three consecutive terms. In most areas terms are four years
Eligibility: to run for Chief of Police, you must be eligible and registered to vote in the city, town or village you want to represent, and most communities also require their chief to have lived in the community for at least a year. Newly-elected chiefs need to complete a training course, and all chiefs need to complete at least 12 hours of continuing education every year they’re in office.
Elected Police Chiefs run their city, town, or village’s police department, giving them a lot of power over local law enforcement and criminal justice issues. Their main responsibilities are:
- Enforcing local and state laws
- Overseeing officers, other police department staff, and the daily operations of the department
- Managing the police department’s budget
The local government decides how much money the department has available. The Chief has a lot of power to decide how that money is spent day-to-day, but cannot go over the budgeted limit. If the department is in danger of overspending, Chiefs must inform the local government and make recommendations on how to balance the budget. - Managing officer training
Depending on the size of the department, the Chief may train officers directly or be involved indirectly by establishing guidelines - Making recommendations to the municipality’s Mayor and local government
The Chief can advise on hiring, promotions, discipline, and dismissals. They don’t always have the final word on these issues, though – in some areas the local government has oversight powers over the police department.
Sources: the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Qualifications of Candidates guide; Louisiana Revised Statutes 33:385.1 (on qualifications) and 33:2345 (on training); Office of the Louisiana Legislative Auditor on the powers of police chiefs