What do you call someone in charge at a police station?

Maybe just . . . officer in charge.

Is this small police station (precinct or sector) part of a small police department, or is it part of a larger police department. For larger police departments they often have names like Night Watch Commander (who is often a lieutenant, as I understand it; with a captain in charge of the station otherwise).

I would address him as "sir", lol. Otherwise...lieutenant. As part of the narrative, Watch Commander should work.

There are a few cops on the board (RJK for one). I'm sure he can give you an answer!

Most likely they'd just call him Lieutenant, or LT. Or go with whatever you want them to call him. It's fiction.
Stan

The officer is charge is generally referred to as the watch commander, I think.

At night where I'm from? Usually a sergeant. But I'm with cornetto. I'd call him 'yes sir, no sir, I want to call my lawyer, sir.'

RainyDayNinja said:

In a story I'm working on, some people are stuck overnight at a small police station on the outskirts of town. The highest ranking officer there is a lieutenant, but I'm not sure what they should call him to refer to his status as the person in charge at the time.

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Okay, my 'sir' joke has been hijacked, abused, tortured and thoroughly killed, so I'll just let it go. Sadly.

However, "Lt." should work fine. It may also depend on the characters and where they're from and what they're used to.

We don't use 'watch commander' in my area and it's kind of interesting when I hear it used in reference to speaking with a supervisor. So, if the characters aren't going to refer to him by rank or name, then what their experiences are might be the best way to go.

If it were me, I'd be correcting anyone calling me 'watch commander'.
(and I'm even trying to change some of our terminology around here - from 'lead deputy' to 'senior deputy')

Rabe...

I don't follow the question.

Surely if he's a lieutenant that's what they should call him. Why should there be any need for them to refer to him in any other manner?

If he's a lieutenant then he would be called Lieutenant So and So, or the Lieutenant.

If you want to mention him as being the officer in charge, then he would just be 'the officer in charge' I guess.

Then use Watch Commander. A lot would depend on the size of your department. Since most people won't know that in a small police dept, he'd just be called Lieutenant, it might make it easier for them to understand.

Small-town departments don't usually use terms like "Watch Commander" -- at least the one I worked in didn't.

RainyDayNinja said:

In a story I'm working on, some people are stuck overnight at a small police station on the outskirts of town. The highest ranking officer there is a lieutenant, but I'm not sure what they should call him to refer to his status as the person in charge at the time.

Click to expand...

Are the people civilians, unfamiliar with officer rankings? If so, they'd probably call the lieutenant - officer. They wouldn't know any better.

This doesn't answer your direct question, but I've called the California highway patrol about walking on highways, and the receptionist would always direct me to the "Watch Officer".

When addressing him, you'd say Lieutenant, or Sir. When refering to him, it would depend on how the department is organized. He could be called, Shift Commander, Captain, Watch Cammander, Station Commander, Precinct Commander, or any number of titles. Or, they might just say "You'll have to talk to the lieutenant."

Duty Supervisor

The previous poster is right on. Many on his list will do. Different departments have differents names for the boss on duty. We call him the duty supervisor.