GO 01-01
Organization, Authority and Chain of Command
Primary owner: Office of the Superintendent
Purpose and scope
Establishes department organization, command authority, lawful orders, and succession of command.
Policy areas
- Mission and values
- Department components
- Command authority
- Policy administration
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1. PURPOSE
This General Order establishes Department policy and minimum operating expectations for organization, authority and chain of command. It shall be applied consistently while preserving officer discretion, fair play and meaningful scene development.
2. SCOPE
This order applies to all Department members unless a provision expressly applies only to a specific rank, assignment or incident type.
★ ROLEPLAY INTENT Structure should make responsibilities obvious without turning rank into status. Administrative talent may be recognized through appointments while patrol authority remains tied to demonstrated field competence.
3. POLICY
The Department shall follow the organizational structure approved by the Superintendent. Department-wide policy authority originates with the Office of the Superintendent and is carried out through the designated offices, bureaus, divisions, sections and units. Rank, command position and administrative title are separate concepts. An appointment such as Director, Executive Director, General Counsel or Deputy Director grants authority within the assigned function but does not automatically create patrol-command authority. Members shall follow lawful orders issued within the official chain of command and shall seek clarification when authority, scope or responsibility is unclear.
4. RESPONSIBILITIES
Superintendent of Police: serves as the Department head, establishes executive direction, approves General Orders and appoints command and administrative leadership. First Deputy Superintendent: oversees the major operational bureaus and support functions assigned to that office, including the Bureau of Patrol, Bureau of Detectives and Bureau of Counterterrorism. Bureau Chiefs and Deputy Chiefs: exercise command over their assigned bureaus, areas and citywide operational groups. District and Division Commanders: manage district, division or specialized-command operations, personnel and major incidents within their assigned authority. Lieutenants and Sergeants: provide watch-level and field supervision, scene management, approvals, coaching and policy enforcement. Field Training Officers: train and evaluate probationary members under the Field Training and Evaluation Program. Police Officers: perform patrol, response, enforcement, preliminary investigation, reporting and community service duties. Executive Directors, Directors, Deputy Directors, General Counsel and other administrative leaders: manage their designated office, division, section or professional function under the reporting relationship shown in the Department Organization for Command.
5. PROCEDURES
Routine operational questions shall be resolved through the member's immediate supervisor and then elevated through the applicable district, area, bureau or office chain. Members may bypass normal channels for emergencies, misconduct complaints, conflicts of interest, protected reporting or a direct assignment from authorized executive leadership. When the assigned commander or supervisor is unavailable, temporary operational authority passes to the designated acting member or the highest-ranking on-duty member within that function. Administrative appointees do not assume unrelated field command solely by title.
6. COMPLIANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Supervisors shall correct unsafe, unfair or inconsistent practice as soon as practical. A technical deviation that causes no harm may be handled through coaching; deliberate, repeated or high-impact violations may result in formal review under GO 14-01.
7. REQUIRED RECORDS
Current Department Organization for Command (Attachments 1-7), appointment roster, acting-command designations and policy revision log.
8. RELATED ORDERS
All General Orders.
