How to hire an assistant chief of police

How to hire an assistant chief of police, step by step

Here's a step-by-step assistant chief of police hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an assistant chief of police job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new assistant chief of police
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an assistant chief of police, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An assistant chief of police's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, assistant chief of polices from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of assistant chief of police salaries for various roles:

   Type of Assistant Chief Of Police	Description	Hourly rate
   Assistant Chief Of Police		$29-68
   Sergeant	A Sergeant is responsible for supervising a group of five or more Soldiers. Sergeants must oversee their daily activities, ensuring they are in proper disposition and are living under the conditions that adhere to the laws and regulations and training them according to the standards of the military... Show more	$16-31
   Platoon Sergeant	A platoon sergeant is responsible for monitoring the platoon on its daily operations, including their training and activities, evaluating their performance, and enforcing disciplinary actions to maintain the order of the group. Platoon sergeants work closely with a platoon commander, advising high-end strategic procedures to support the troops, including defense training and weapon tactics... Show more	$32-64

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patrol
   • Public Safety
   • Patient Care
   • Oversight
   • Emergency Situations
   • Direct Supervision
   • Law Enforcement Agencies
   • Incident Command
   • EMS
   • HVAC
   • Infection Control
   • Disciplinary Actions
   • Hazardous Materials
   • Logistics

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Orchestrate the day to day demands, managing deficiencies/opportunities and prioritization of unit operations throughout specific target areas within NYC.
   • Instruct firearms training and qualifications.
   • Background checks and issuance of all firearms permits.
   • Perform general patrol and investigative duties.
   • Monitor patrol and investigations and successfully dealing with personnel issues.
   • Provide operational and administrative oversight of staff responsible for executing law enforcement services for Missouri's state parks and historic sites.

   More assistant chief of police duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your assistant chief of police job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An assistant chief of police salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an assistant chief of police in Montana may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level assistant chief of police usually earns less than a senior-level assistant chief of police. Additionally, an assistant chief of police with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average assistant chief of police salary

   $93,602yearly

   $45.00 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level assistant chief of police salary

   $61,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average assistant chief of police salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Nevada	$104,415	$50
   2	New York	$99,634	$48
   3	Connecticut	$85,472	$41
   4	Arizona	$84,623	$41
   5	Pennsylvania	$80,320	$39
   6	Virginia	$76,769	$37
   7	North Carolina	$74,828	$36
   8	Texas	$74,806	$36
   9	Florida	$72,881	$35
   10	Nebraska	$70,519	$34
   11	Massachusetts	$61,025	$29
   12	Indiana	$59,418	$29
   13	Maryland	$58,457	$28

   Average assistant chief of police salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Icma-rc	$112,265	$53.97	14
   2	Medstar Health	$87,124	$41.89
   3	Bashas'	$85,571	$41.14
   4	Children's Hospital Colorado	$81,089	$38.99	2
   5	Yale University	$79,398	$38.17	1
   6	Hartford Hospital	$79,327	$38.14
   7	City Of Alexandria	$74,804	$35.96	5
   8	The Country Club of Farmington	$72,955	$35.07
   9	University of Nebraska at Omaha	$72,920	$35.06
   10	City Of Statesville	$67,777	$32.59	3
   11	City of Reno	$66,798	$32.11	3
   12	University of Houston	$65,898	$31.68	5
   13	University of Florida	$65,614	$31.55	2
   14	City of Richmond	$64,577	$31.05	10
   15	University of Nebraska System	$63,753	$30.65
   16	SUNY Optometry	$59,607	$28.66
   17	NC.gov	$54,998	$26.44	7
   18	Miami-Dade County Public Schools	$52,632	$25.30

4. Writing an assistant chief of police job description

   A good assistant chief of police job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an assistant chief of police job description:

   Assistant chief of police job description example

   * Provide training for all direct-report and indirect-report officers to ensure the proper response to crisis situations, accidents, and reports of crime at district campuses
   * Plan, develop and administer the departmental budget
   * Promote the department's mission by recommending the best-qualified applicants for each position vacancy
   * Assist with the development of long and short-range objectives for the safety and security of the district
   * Supervise the activities of the department in accordance with the district's policies and applicable laws
   * Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints, and resolving problems
   * Supervising emergency management, dispatch, internal affairs, and criminal investigations
   * Ensure Police and Security Services are rigorously supportive of the goals and objectives of the district
   * Developing comprehensive programs designed to ensure operations are effective as possible
   * Secure the cooperation of others in difficult situations
   * Coordinate and administer daily police activities through subordinates
   * Analyze facts and exercise sound judgment in arriving at conclusions
   * Handle difficult situations firmly, courteously, tactfully, and impartially
   * Ensure vision of Chief of Police is communicated and supported
   * Performs all other tasks and duties as assigned
   * Bachelor's degree in a directly related field (Master Preferred)
   * TCOLE Peace Officer License, Master Police Officer Certificate, and Instructor's Certificate
   * Ten years of directly related experience, including five years of supervisory experience, and two years of command-level experience
   * Graduate of the FBI National Academy, Senior Management Institute of Police, or LEMIT Leadership
   * Command College
   * Experience working in Internal Affairs, Police Training, Recruiting/Hiring, Criminal Investigations, Emergency Management, and School-Based Law Enforcement Programs
   * Experience in Special Events, Fleet Management, Technology, Records Management, Crime Analysis, Property, and Evidence
   * Experience training in Use of Force, to include Defensive Tactics
   * Experience in Uniformed Police Field Operations, including patrol functions and support
   * Demonstrated knowledge of federal and state laws

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find assistant chief of polices for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any assistant chief of polices they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level assistant chief of polices with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your assistant chief of police job on Zippia to find and recruit assistant chief of police candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit assistant chief of polices, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new assistant chief of police

   Once you've selected the best assistant chief of police candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new assistant chief of police first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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