To begin work toward this objective, a two-phase methodology was used. Phase one was the content analyses of advertisements for the position of police chief; the results of this phase will be reported elsewhere. Phase two included a survey of a purposive sample of police chiefs and the analyses of the data collected; these findings are reported in this paper. Phase three will consist of surveying a larger random sample of police chiefs, a survey currently underway. The phase-two questionnaire consisted of three sections: agency demographics, personal demographics, and police chief qualifications. The questionnaire was sent to 115 police chiefs in Cook County, Illinois; 58 (50.4 percent) usable questionnaires were returned. Police management experience was ranked the most important criterion for potential police chiefs. This was followed by extensive education and training. The police chiefs also ranked the skills a potential police chief should possess. The top five by ranking were leadership, communication, decision-making, organizational skill, and planning. A surprising finding was the placement of political skill as the least important skill, particularly because it has been well-documented that most police chiefs must have political "savvy." The respondents did not indicate that a college degree is necessary for a police chief; yet, among the respondents, a majority (48) have college degrees. Their agencies do not require any college education for recruits or promotion. 4 tables and 18 references