Rank structure varies slightly from place to place, but I think the NYPD would make a good model.
According to
Wikipedia\'s article :
There are ten sworn uniformed ranks of the New York City Police Department:
* Police Officer
* Sergeant (symbol of rank: 3 chevrons)
* Lieutenant (symbol of rank: 1 gold bar)
* Captain (symbol of rank: 2 gold bars)
* Deputy Inspector (symbol of rank: gold oak leaf)
* Inspector (symbol of rank: gold eagle)
* Deputy Chief (symbol of rank: 1 gold star)
* Assistant Chief (symbol of rank: 2 gold stars)
* Bureau Chief (symbol of rank: 3 gold stars)
* Chief of Department (symbol of rank: 4 gold stars)
Promotion from police officer to sergeant, sergeant to lieutenant, and lieutenant to captain all occur via a civil service formula that factors: performance on the civil service written examination for that rank, length of service, citations awarded, optional physical fitness test (for extra points). Promotion beyond the rank of captain is discretionary.
So, one step below Inspector is Deputy Inspector. Captain is two ranks below Inspector, and promotion from Captain on up is "discretionary." Exceptional work (and possibly an opening above you) can get you promoted quickly. With passable work, you might stay at Captain for the rest of your career.
Don't know what a typical promotion time is, or even if there is such a thing, but you could probably get away with Captain to Inspector in three years if you really wanted to. Especially if you consider the link to Lois. They obviously knew each other well, and she'd risen from entry level to top of her field (with multiple Kerths to her name) in about the same time period.
Working with her on a couple of Kerth-worthy busts might well get him promoted, and having his name in those Kerth-winning stories certainly wouldn't hurt. Someone the public "knows" and "trusts" (thanks to the media coverage) is more likely to get promoted to a more prominent position.
Paul
