The ranks of police officers vary between individual departments, but most are based on the order of military ranks. In general, officers are required to serve a certain amount of time at each level of the department and take written exams and interview with superior officers before advancing to the next police rank. Here is a general outline of the police ranks commonly used by metropolitan departments, ranked from lowest to highest:

• Police officer
• Police detective
• Police corporal
• Police sergeant
• Police lieutenant
• Police captain
• Deputy chief
• Chief of police

Some metropolitan departments may have police majors and police colonels above police captain, and may also use the term police inspector to describe certain high-ranking officials above captain. The largest number of sworn officers in the department is usually at the rank of police officer, which is divided into three paygrade advancement ranks: Police Officer I, II, and III.

Its important to note that the naming conventions and rank structures of law enforcement agencies aren’t all uniform, and federal agencies have their own structures while local law enforcement organizations can vary depending on the community served.