A chief of police, also known as police chief or sometimes shortened to just chief, is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include police commissioner, colonel (in the Rhode Island State Police), police superintendent, police president, and chief constable. In contrast to a sheriff (who is generally elected by the voters of a county, except in the states of Rhode Island and Hawaii), a chief of police is usually a municipal employee who owes his allegiance to a city or town. Some states have both an appointed and an elected chief of police (Louisiana). In some jurisdictions the head of the police commission is the leader of the police and holds a position analogous or