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Posted: 12/5/2007 4:35:17 PM EDT
[#1]
Depends on the department size. Most Chiefs in my area wear the Col. "bird." several of them have more than one Major below them, several captains, etc.
If a department has over 500 officers, a star or two may be appropriate. In a 50 man department, maybe not. Houston PD per Wiki * Chief of Police (symbol of rank: 4 gold stars) * Executive Assistant Chief of Police (symbol of rank: 3 gold stars) * Assistant Chief of Police (symbol of rank: 2 gold stars) * Police Captain (symbol of rank: 2 gold bars) * Police Lieutenant (symbol of rank: 1 gold bar) * Police Sergeant (symbol of rank: white sergeant stripes) * Senior Police Officer (symbol of rank: white corporal stripes) * Police Officer (symbol of rank: none) To me it looks like he should rank one or two gold stars, he skipped Maj and Col in his rankings. |
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Posted: 12/5/2007 5:29:59 PM EDT
[#2]
I agree. If you look like a third world dictator in your uniform it is time for a change in rank insignia. The Chief here approx 600 man force wears colonels insignia. |
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Posted: 12/5/2007 5:51:55 PM EDT
[#3]
I believe that in Ohio, the elected sheriff will wear one star. His Chief Deputy will hold the rank of Colonel and will wear the bird.
The head of the state Highway Patrol holds the rank of Colonel. I believe that all chiefs of police are colonels also. I could be wrong, but I believe myself to be correct. The City of Cincinnati's Chief is a Colonel, just like the Chief of a three man department. |
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Posted: 12/5/2007 5:57:58 PM EDT
[#4]
Personally, I'm of the opinion that rank insignia used by the U.S. Armed Forces should by law be reserved for use ONLY by U.S. Armed Forces. The police should get their own separate designs. An oak leaf should ONLY represent rank grades O-4 (if gold) or O-5 (if silver) (or subdued versions in bronze and blue) for U.S. MILITARY officers only, for example.
I'll stop short of saying there should be federal regulations that dictate the rank structure of police departments, but I do think that chiefs that wear four or five stars is overkill, particularly if his department isn't one of the very largest in the nation. Show me a 200 man police department where the chief wears five stars and I'll show you vanity in action! CJ |
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Posted: 12/5/2007 6:00:53 PM EDT
[#5]
Don't hate! 
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Posted: 12/5/2007 6:09:22 PM EDT
[#6]
In Commiefornia that is extremely common, and IMO, tacky.
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Posted: 12/5/2007 6:25:02 PM EDT
[#7]
Where do you stop with that though? Are enlisted ranks (stripes) verboten as well? |
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Posted: 12/5/2007 6:26:29 PM EDT
[#8]
I couldn't care less about the jewelry on the Chief's uniform.
I'm more concerned with the paperwork that goes across his desk... 
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Posted: 12/5/2007 10:32:33 PM EDT
[#9]
A local sheriff here (30 man dept) wears a single star, and then probably only to "remind" the local PD chiefs that he's "above" them somehow. Most all other agency heads in this area wear a standard colonel bird.
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Posted: 12/6/2007 3:06:03 AM EDT
[#10]
I think they should use distinctive versions of rank stripes, not the military's versions. This should be NO problem as I've never yet seen an officer with military pattern stripes. CJ |
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Posted: 12/6/2007 3:09:40 AM EDT
[#11]
In NJ most chiefs wear one star.
Mike |
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Posted: 12/6/2007 3:18:12 AM EDT
[#12]
PA Chiefs in my area all have the bird. On dress uniforms they often have four gold stripes on the jacket sleeve. I'm sure the city is different. I suppose the larger the organization, the more they need additional ranking insignias.
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Posted: 12/6/2007 3:43:48 AM EDT
[#13]
A bit cheesy I agree.
There are lots of ranks between none and 4 stars. Start from the bottom and work up. A single star isn't unusual to represent the head of the department and I wouldn't see that as unusual. Joe |
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Posted: 12/6/2007 6:03:35 AM EDT
[#14]
I'm not aware of a dept that wears stripes that are duplicates of USMC stripes. Everything else will look like Army stripes with the exception of color. However, there's only so much variation that can be done to the insignia. I could really care less what a chief or sherrif has on their collar or how much their rank insignias looks like the mil insignia. The ranks for LE officals need to be readily discernable just like in the mil. |
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Posted: 12/6/2007 8:36:50 AM EDT
[#15]
Our chief wears 2 stars, the two assistant chiefs wear 1 star.
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Posted: 12/6/2007 8:44:18 AM EDT
[#16]
The department I work for goes as follows:
Chief -Colonel Bird -1 Major / Assistant Chief- Oak Leaf -1 Capt. - 2 Bars -3 Sgt. - Sgt. Stripes -6 Cpl. - Cpl. Stripes -6 Ofc. - No special insignia. Aprox -35 sworn officers. |
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Posted: 12/6/2007 8:51:30 AM EDT
[#17]
...and we have nothing better to whine about?
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Posted: 12/6/2007 9:02:03 AM EDT
[#18]
The campus police chief in my city wears 5 stars.
It's beyond cheesy. |
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Posted: 12/6/2007 9:06:54 AM EDT
[#19]
I don't give a damn what they wear. I'm in the military (reserves) as well as LE and couldn't care less.
My chief doesn't usually wear a uniform so I can't remember what he wear when he's in uniform. |
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Posted: 12/6/2007 12:36:47 PM EDT
[#20]
most of the brass on my dept has gone out an got uniforms they all look like some 3 world leader, the thing is these are appointed positions the union went after them a few years back for this an they soon will again
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Posted: 12/6/2007 1:20:43 PM EDT
[#21]
Not today. |
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Posted: 12/7/2007 4:26:50 AM EDT
[#22]
My chief just started wearing the stars, don't remember if its 4 or 5 stars.
Me, I just use "Assistant Chief" pins on my collars. |
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Posted: 12/8/2007 12:54:17 PM EDT
[#23]
i'm not a cop but i thought it was ghey, why do cops even have dress uniforms just wear a suit. It would look way less cheesy.
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Posted: 12/8/2007 6:02:46 PM EDT
[#24]
The chief of my agency wears two stars on his collar. The chief of the agency in the city I live in just where "Chief" collar brass.
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Posted: 12/8/2007 6:07:40 PM EDT
[#25]
Not on patrol duty etc. A suit is good to go. Formal duty, active patrol, court (some Judges do not allow uniforms in court), funerals, a uniform. |
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Posted: 12/8/2007 8:34:17 PM EDT
[#26]
I'm not aware of a dept that wears stripes that are duplicates of USMC stripes. Everything else will look like Army stripes with the exception of color. However, there's only so much variation that can be done to the insignia. I could really care less what a chief or sherrif has on their collar or how much their rank insignias looks like the mil insignia. The ranks for LE officals need to be readily discernable just like in the mil. Check out Texas DPS, I may be wrong but I think they use USMC stripes and color. |
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Posted: 12/8/2007 8:40:51 PM EDT
[#27]
Which is interesting considering the Superintendent of the NJSP is a Colonel. |
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Posted: 12/8/2007 10:20:08 PM EDT
[#28]
There's a joke in here somewhere that involves BDU's. I just haven't figured out what it will be yet.
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Posted: 12/9/2007 6:18:42 AM EDT
[#29]
They use stripes over cross rifles??? I'm pretty partial to these: 
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Posted: 12/9/2007 10:49:12 AM EDT
[#30]
I think more braid and sashes are the way to go.
Throw in some fancy medals, too.   |
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Posted: 12/9/2007 11:04:14 AM EDT
[#31]
+1. pd's are a paramilitary orginization. |
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Posted: 12/9/2007 11:05:48 AM EDT
[#32]
What about a chief of police wearing stars on his ACUs or BDUs? Should they be shiny or subdued?
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Posted: 12/9/2007 11:12:17 AM EDT
[#33]
 I was at the Arizona Governors cabinet meeting this month and I noticed that the head of Arizona DPS wears two stars. Probably because DPS is in DEMA along with the Arizona National Guard and the Arizona Adjutant General is a Major General and didn't want to be out rank insignia'd by a cop. |
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Posted: 12/10/2007 1:06:03 AM EDT
[#34]
Sheriff-We all know who he is, no stars needed
Undersheriff-Ditto Lieutenants- Gold Bar Sgts-3 Stripes Corporals-2 Stripes Crunchy Deputies-NADA My next door neighbor, good friend, and the campus police chief wears Colonels Eagles on his collar. Being that we're both former military, I always salute him and say, "Good morning Colonel", he replies, "Fuck off". |
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Posted: 12/10/2007 1:24:24 AM EDT
[#35]
In the years Dad was a Chief he never even wore a uniform.
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