Sergeant Sergeant ( normally abbreviated to Sgt ) is a rank used in some form by most militaries , police forces , and other uniformed organizations around the world . Its origins are the Latin " serviens " , " one who serves " , through the French term " sergent " . In most armies the rank of sergeant is classified by NATO as OR - 5 and corresponds to command of a squad ( or section ) . In Commonwealth armies , it is a more senior rank OR - 6 , corresponding roughly to a platoon second - in - command . In the United States Army , sergeant is a more junior rank corresponding to a four - man fireteam leader ( OR - 4 ) , while still equivalent to OR - 5 . More senior non - commissioned ranks are often variations on sergeant , for instance staff sergeant , regimental sergeant major , sergeant first class , master sergeant , first sergeant and sergeant major . The spelling " serjeant " is used in a few regiments of the British Army . Usage . In most non - naval military or paramilitary organizations , the various grades of sergeant are non - commissioned officer s ( NCOs ) ranking above privates and corporal s , and below warrant officer s and commissioned officer s . The responsibilities of a sergeant differ from army to army . There are usually several ranks of sergeant , each corresponding to greater experience and responsibility for the daily lives of the soldiers of larger units . In medieval European usage , a sergeant was simply any attendant or officer with a protective duty . The etymology of the term is from Anglo - French " sergant , serjant " , from Latin " servient , serviens " , to serve . Australia . Defence force . Sergeant ( SGT ) is a rank in both the Australian Army and the Royal Australian Air Force . The ranks are equivalent to each other and the Royal Australian Navy rank of petty officer . Although the rank insignia of the RAAF rank of flight sergeant ( FSGT ) and the Australian Army rank of staff sergeant ( SSG ) are identical , flight sergeant in fact outranks the rank of staff sergeant in the classification of rank equivalencies . The Australian Army rank of staff sergeant is now redundant and is no longer awarded , due to being outside the rank equivalencies and the next promotional rank is warrant officer class two . The ranks of chief petty officer , warrant officer class two and flight sergeant fall in - line with US E - 8 . Chief petty officers and flight sergeants should provide the courtesy of calling a warrant officer class two " sir " , as the warrant class two holds the Queen ' s warrant . Police . The rank of sergeant exists in all Australian police forces and is more senior than a constable or senior constable , but less senior than an inspector . There are generally two sergeant ranks which are classed as non - commissioned officers : Some state police forces have slightly different variations of the sergeant structure . Within the NSWPF , sergeant is a team leader or supervisory rank , whilst the rank of senior sergeant is a middle management rank with coordination responsibilities over human and physical resources . All three sergeant ranks are informally referred to as " sergeant " , " boss " , or " sarge " . However at the New South Wales Police Academy , recruits must address all ranks of sergeants as " Sergeant " , and senior sergeant as " Senior Sergeant " . Sergeants are usually team leaders in charge of an entire team of constables to senior constables at large stations , to being in charge of sectors involving several police stations . In country areas , sergeants are often in charge of an entire station and its constabulary . Senior sergeants are usually in specialist areas and are in charge of sergeants and thus act as middle management . Canada . Army . Sergeant ( Sgt ) ( or ) is an Army or Air Force non - commissioned officer rank of the Canadian Armed Forces . Its naval equivalent is petty officer 2nd class ( French : " maître de 2e classe " ) . It is senior to the appointment of master corporal and its equivalent naval appointment , master seaman , and junior to warrant officer and its naval equivalent , petty officer 1st class . Sergeants and petty officers 2nd class together make up the lowest of four grades in the cadre of senior non - commissioned officers . In army units , sergeants usually serve as section commanders ; they may often be called to fill positions normally held by warrant officer s , such as platoon or troop warrant , company quartermaster sergeant , chief clerk , etc . The rank insignia of a sergeant is a three - bar chevron , worn point down , surmounted by a maple leaf . Embroidered rank badges are worn in " CF gold " thread on rifle green melton , stitched to the upper sleeves of the service dress jacket ; as miniature gold metal and rifle - green enamel badges on the collars of the army dress shirt and army outerwear jackets ; in " old - gold " thread on air force blue slip - on s on air force shirts , sweaters , and coats ; and in tan thread on CADPAT slip - ons ( army ) or dark blue thread on olive - drab slip - ons ( air force ) on the operational dress uniform . Colour sergeant in the Canadian Armed Forces is not a rank of sergeant , but a warrant officer in one of the two Foot Guards regiments ( the Governor General ' s Foot Guards and the Canadian Grenadier Guards ) . Likewise , a sergeant - major ( including regimental sergeant - major ) is not a sergeant rank , but an appointment held by a master warrant officer or chief warrant officer . Sergeants generally mess and billet with warrant officers , master warrant officers , and chief warrant officers , and their naval counterparts , chief petty officer s and petty officer s . Their mess on military bases or installations is generally named the warrant officers ' and sergeants ' mess . Historically , the rank of sergeant was severely downgraded after unification of the three services in 1968 . An army sergeant before unification was generally employed in supervisory positions , such as the second in command of a platoon sized unit ( i . e . an infantry platoon sergeant , or troop sergeant in an armoured unit ) . After unification sergeants were downgraded in status to section commander , a job previously held by corporal s , and the former " platoon / troop sergeant " s were replaced by " platoon / troop warrant officers . " Police . Police forces across Canada also use the rank of sergeant and staff sergeant for senior non - commissioned officers above the rank of constable or corporal . Except in the province of Quebec and in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police , the insignia for a police sergeant is a three chevrons , worn point down . Staff sergeants rank above sergeants and are responsible for a unit or team within a station or division . The insignia for a staff sergeant is three chevrons , worn point down surmounted by a royal crown . In the Royal Canadian Mounted Police , the insignia for a sergeant is three chevrons , worn point down surmounted by a royal crown ( which is insignia of a staff sergeant in other Canadian police forces ) . The insignia of a staff sergeant in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is four chevrons worn point up . Finland . Army . " Kersantti " is in Finnish Defence Forces the second and highest non - commissioned officer rank that a conscript can possibly reach before entering the reserve . The beginning and most common non - commissioned officer rank is " alikersantti " ( lit . " lower sergeant " ) ; see corporal . Only a few non - commissioned officers in each conscript company reach the higher rank of full three - chevron " kersantti " . There ' s no difference between the 4 - month squad leader training and service time of " alikersantti " and " kersantti " ; all start their squad leader tour with the lower rank and the optional promotion is based on superior ' s assessment of individual performance and intended duties in the war - time organization ; special roles such as that of platoon sergeant or company first sergeant are typically reserved for " kersantti " and upwards . A corporal can also obtain the rank of sergeant ( and possibly above , the next rank being four - chevron " ylikersantti " , which is comparable to staff sergeant ) by taking some military refresher courses while in reserve , or by enlisting to ( short - term ) professional service in the military . France . Army . There are three sergeant ranks in France , although the most junior , contract sergeant , is rare now that conscription has been suspended . In general the term " sergeant " is used for both contract sergeant and career sergeant . Contract sergeant is classified as the lowest NCO rank , the rank below being chief corporal . French sergeant ranks are used by the entire air force , by the engineers , the infantry , the Foreign Legion , the " Troupes de marine " , the communications , the administration , all part of the French Army , and the " Gendarmerie mobile " , part of the Gendarmerie Nationale . Other corps in the army and the " gendarmerie " use three equivalent ranks of " maréchal des logis " ( " marshal of lodgings " in English ) instead . Germany . Army . In modern - day usage within the German " Bundeswehr " the rank of sergeant is known as " Unteroffizier " , historically it was the German army rank of a corporal . The rank has existed since the 18th century , with usage as a title dating back to the Middle Age . The ranks of the " Unteroffiziere " ( NCOs ) are divided into two categories , the " Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee " making up the cadre of junior non - commissioned officers and the " Unteroffiziere mit Portepee " making up the cadre of senior non - commissioned officers . The duties of a sergeant " Unteroffizier " can vary greatly with its rank : In a typical " Bundeswehr " company , the " Unteroffizier ohne Portepee " ( OR - 5 ) are only leading one " Zugtrupp " ( squad ) whereas the position of " Zugführer " ( platoon leader ) are held by a higher ranked NCOs ( typically " Hauptfeldwebel " OR - 7 ) with according training . The platoon ' s " second in command " , is usually held by a " Feldwebel / Oberfeldwebel " ( OR - 6 ) . The German Army rank order is : " Unteroffizier " OR - 5 , " Fahnenjunker " OR - 5 , " Stabsunteroffizier " OR - 5 , " Feldwebel " OR - 6 , " Fähnrich " OR - 6 , " Oberfeldwebel " OR - 6 , " Hauptfeldwebel " OR - 7 , " Oberfähnrich " OR - 7 , " Stabsfeldwebel " OR - 8 and " Oberstabsfeldwebel " OR - 9 . Navy . " Maat " is a naval rank of the German navy equivalent to the army rank of " Unteroffizier " . A " Maat " is considered the equivalent of a junior petty officer in the navies of many other nations . The term is derived from the low German " māt " ( comrade ) . Via the Dutch language , the word became a nautical term and described the assistant to a deck officer . Since the second half of the 17th century " Maate " were the lowest class of non - commissioned officers aboard a warship . The German Navy rank order is : " Maat " OR - 5 , " Seekadett " OR - 5 , " Obermaat " OR - 5 , " Bootsmann " OR - 6 , " Fähnrich " OR - 6 , " Oberbootsmann " OR - 6 , " Hauptbootsmann " OR - 7 , " Oberfähnrich " OR - 7 , " Stabsbootsmann " OR - 8 and " Oberstabsbootsmann " OR - 9 . Hong Kong . Army and air force . During British rule , the rank of sergeant was held by members of the RAF ( flight sergeant or sergeant ( air crew ) ) or British Army serving in Hong Kong . The rank was held by local enlisted men with the Royal Hong Kong Regiment ( The Volunteers ) and Royal Hong Kong Regiment ( The Volunteers ) Regimental Police . Police . Hong Kong Police Force sergeants are in charge of a section or commander of a vehicle on patrol . Their ranks is symbolized by three chevrons and worn on their arm and / or lapel . The rank is also used by the Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force ( station sergeant ( auxiliary ) and sergeant ( auxiliary ) ) . There also sergeants in the Hong Kong Police Force Pipe Band , who carry their rank from their regular policing duties . Others . Two other non - military organizations use the ranks of sergeant : India and Pakistan . Police . In many metropolitan police forces in both India and Pakistan , a sergeant ( called armed sub - inspectors in some states ) is equivalent to a police sub - inspector . They are subordinate to police inspectors in rank but are senior to assistant sub - inspectors , head constables , " naiks " ( corporals ) and police constables in Indian police forces . In British - India days , the practice began of transferring British Army NCOs to Indian constabularies to teach them foot and rifle drill and weapons handling ( called " musketry " ) and to maintain disciplinary standards . This is the historical origin of the rank of sergeant in the forces of today ’ s Mumbai , Chennai and Kolkata ( their equivalents in state forces are called armed sub - inspectors ) . Sergeants have always served in the non - investigative branches of the ' protective police ' [ e . g . armed and mounted branches ; port , river and traffic police , reserve forces , etc . ] and one per police station . Their use is focused more upon security and public order situations than investigating routine domestic , commercial and street crime which is the purview of the investigative branches of the ' detective police ' where their counterparts are called sub - inspectors . Head constables ( not to be confused with sergeants ) wear three chevrons ( rank insignia ) point - down on their sleeve or three bars on their epaulettes . Army . In the British Indian Army , the equivalent rank to sergeant was " daffadar " in cavalry regiments and " havildar " in other units . These ranks are still used in the armies of India and Pakistan . Air Force . In the Indian Air Force and the Pakistan Air Force , the rank of sergeant is above a corporal and below of junior warrant officer . The rank insignia is a three pointed - down chevron . The rank of flight sergeant is now obsolete with the responsibilities given to junior warrant officers . The rank of sergeant is a senior non - commissioned officer Navy . In the Indian Navy and the Pakistan Navy , the rank of petty officer is roughly equivalent to sergeant . Ireland . Army . Sergeant ( Sgt ) ( " sáirsint " in Irish ) is the second rank of non - commissioned officer within the Irish Army . The Naval equivalent is petty officer . The army rank insignia consists of three winged chevrons ( or " stripes " ) . The service dress insignia consists of three wavy red chevrons 9 cm wide bordered in yellow . The main infantry role of a sergeant is as second - in - command of a platoon or commander of a fire support section of a weapons platoon , such as an anti - tank or mortar platoon . Another role is that of company clerk and instructor . There are higher ranks of company sergeant and company quartermaster sergeant . Artillery sergeants are usually assigned as detachment and section commanders , as well as in administrative roles . The difference in roles of sergeant and corporal in the artillery corps is not as clearly defined as in the infantry corps . Sergeant is also the second rank of non - commissioned officer in the Irish Air Corps . Before 1994 , the Air Corps was considered part of the army and wore army uniforms with distinct corps badges , but the same rank insignia . With the introduction of a unique Air Corps blue uniform in 1994 , the same rank markings in a white colour were worn , before the introduction of a new three - chevron with wing rank marking . There are higher ranks of flight sergeant and flight quartermaster sergeant . Police . Sergeant is the second rank in the " Garda Síochána " . Israel . Defense forces . In the Israel Defense Forces , soldiers are promoted from corporal to sergeant ( " Samál " , originally the Hebrew abbreviation for non - commissioned officer ) after approximately 18 months of service , if they performed their duties appropriately during this time , and did not have disciplinary problems . Soldiers who take a commander ' s course may become sergeants earlier . Sergeants get a symbolic pay raise of 1 . 80 NIS . Italy . Army . In the Italian Army the rank of " sergente " , ( " sergeant " ) , is the first rank of the warrant officers sergeant role , equivalent to NATO OR - 5 grade . The two next senior ranks are " sergente maggiore " ( literally " major sergeant " ) and " sergente maggiore capo " ( literally " chief major sergeant " ) . For paratroopers , the ranks of " sergente " and " sergente maggiore " are bordered in blue . Mexico . Army . In the Mexican Army the " cabo " ( corporal ) is junior to " sargento segundo " ( second sergeant ) and " sargento primero " ( first sergeant ) . New Zealand . Only the Royal New Zealand Air Force and New Zealand Army use sergeant as a rank , identifiable by the three chevrons . The Royal New Zealand Navy has the equivalent rank of petty officer . Promotion to sergeant in the New Zealand Defence Force is usually around nine to ten years service and commands considerable responsibility and an increase in pay . Philippines . Army . The ranks of enlisted personnel in Filipino are just the same as their U . S . counterparts but , they never use " specialist " , " sergeant first class " , " first sergeant " ( for Philippine Army and Philippine Air Force except the Philippine Marine Corps ) , " lance corporal " , " gunnery sergeant " , " master gunnery sergeant " in the Philippine Army and Marine Corps . They simply start to address their ranks from private second class up to sergeant major . Sergeant majors in the AFP are only appointments rather than ranks . Air Force . In the Philippine Air Force , the rank of sergeant is used from sergeant up to chief master sergeant , the same as in its U . S . counterparts . Poland . Army . In the Polish Army rank insignia system there are two grades of sergeant : " sierżant " ( OR - 6 in NATO code ) and " starszy sierżant " ( OR - 7 ) . The rank first appeared in Henryk Dąbrowski ' s Polish Legions in Italy in the late 18th century . Both ranks are used in the infantry , armoured forces , air force . In the cavalry the equivalent is " wachmistrz " ( literally wachtmeister ) . In the artillery the equivalent is " ogniomistrz " ( literally firemaster ) . In the Polish Navy , the equivalent is " bosman " ( literally boatswain ) . Singapore . Armed forces . In the Singapore Armed Forces ( SAF ) , there are five different grades of sergeant : third sergeant ( 3SG ) , second sergeant ( 2SG ) , first sergeant ( 1SG ) , staff sergeant ( SSG ) , and master sergeant ( MSG ) . Sergeants are considered specialist s in the SAF . They are equivalent to the non - commissioned officers of other militaries . Soldiers must complete their specialist course at the Specialist Cadet School , formerly known as the School of Infantry Specialists ( SISPEC ) or other training institutes before being promoted to third sergeant . While active duty national servicemen may be promoted to second sergeant , most personnel holding ranks above that are career soldiers . Promotion from third sergeant to staff sergeant takes an average of 6 years , although there are many factors which may cause a soldier ' s promotion to cease . These factors include failure to pass an annual physical fitness proficiency test , poor performance , or being charged for offences . Third sergeants are usually section commanders . They may also hold certain logistics or administrative posts such as company quartermaster sergeant . Second sergeants usually serve as platoon sergeant s . First sergeants , staff sergeants and master sergeants usually serve as company sergeant major s or administrative specialists at company level or higher . Paramilitary force . In the Singapore Police Force , Singapore Civil Defence Force , Singapore Prison Service and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority , the rank of sergeant lies between corporal and staff sergeant . Unlike most police forces in the world , the rank of sergeant has been changed since the late 1990s to an entry - level rank for Diploma / GCE " A " Level holders rather than a supervisory one . Sri Lanka . Army . Sergeant is used as a rank in the Sri Lanka Army . It is senior to corporal and junior to staff sergeant . It is denoted by three chevrons . Air Force . Sergeant is also used as a rank in the Sri Lanka Air Force . It is senior to corporal and junior to flight sergeant . It is denoted by three chevrons . Police . The rank of sergeant exists in the Sri Lanka Police Service . It is senior to constable but junior to sub - inspector . There are several grades which are classed as non - gazetted officers : South Korea . Army . In the Republic of Korea Armed Forces , " byeong - jang " ( ) is equivalent to the U . S . Army ' s rank of sergeant . It is typically attained after 15 – 18 months of service as an enlisted personnel . The rank insignia for ' byung - jang " is four horizontal bars . In addition , there are four non - commissioned officer ranks above " byeong - jang " : " ha - sa " ( ) , " jung - sa " ( ) , " sang - sa " ( ) , and " won - sa " ( ) . " Ha - sa " is equivalent to U . S . Army ' s rank of staff sergeant and its rank is one chevron . " Jung - sa " is equivalent to the U . S . Army ' s sergeant first class and its rank is denoted by two chevrons . " Sang - sa " is equivalent to the U . S . Army master sergeant and its rank is denoted by three chevrons . " Won - sa " , the most senior non - commissioned officer rank , is denoted by three chevrons and a star above the chevrons and is equivalent to the U . S . Army sergeant major rank . Sweden . Army . In Sweden , " sergeant " is a military rank above " korpral " ( " corporal " ) and below " förste sergeant " ( " first sergeant " ) . The insignia of rank was changed in 2009 to resemble American and British sergeants . United Kingdom . Police . Within the British police , sergeant is the first supervisory rank . Sergeant is senior to the rank of constable , and junior to inspector . The rank is mostly operational , meaning that sergeants are directly concerned with day - to - day policing . Uniformed sergeants are often responsible for supervising a shift of constables and allocating duties to them . Large stations have a separate custody sergeant who is responsible for authorising detention of arrested persons under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act , along with effective running of the custody suite . Plain clothes detective sergeants are equal in rank to their uniformed counterparts , the prefix ' detective ' identifies them as being trained in criminal investigations and part of or attached to CID . Uniformed sergeants ' epaulettes feature three down - pointed chevrons , above a personal identification number . Sergeants in service with the Metropolitan Police , which is responsible for law enforcement in Greater London , also have a divisional call sign attached to the epaulette , due to the size of the force . Until the abolition of first class detective sergeants in 1973 , Metropolitan Police detective sergeants were officially known as second class detective sergeants . Unlike in the military , addressing a police sergeant as " sarge " is not seen as incorrect . Constables in some forces ( including the Metropolitan Police ) refer to their sergeants as " skipper " . , the annual salary for newly promoted sergeants is of £36 , 519 , rising to £41 , 040 after four years as a sergeant . In the case of the Police Service of Northern Ireland , sergeants ' chevrons point upwards . This is derived from the practices of the Royal Irish Constabulary , who were a mounted police force and followed a tradition of upward - pointing ranks . Royal Marines and Army . A sergeant in the Royal Marines and British Army wears three point - down chevron s on their sleeve and usually serves as a platoon or troop sergeant , or in a specialist position . Staff sergeant ( in technical units ) or colour sergeant ( In the Royal Marines and the infantry ) , is the next most senior rank , above which come warrant officers . The Household Cavalry use the rank of corporal of horse instead , the only regiments to preserve the old cavalry tradition of having corporals but not sergeants . A lance - sergeant ( LSgt ) was formerly a corporal acting in the capacity of a sergeant . The appointment now survives only in the Foot Guards and Honourable Artillery Company , where it is awarded to all corporal s , a lance - sergeant wears three chevrons and belongs to the sergeants ' mess , however , functionally he remains a corporal rather than an acting sergeant ( e . g . , he will typically command a section ) . In the Household Cavalry , the equivalent appointment is lance - corporal of horse . A sergeant in infantry regiments usually holds the appointment of " platoon sergeant " and is second in command of a platoon . The Rifles still use the pre - 1953 spelling " serjeant " . Air force . The Royal Air Force also has the rank of sergeant , wearing the same three chevrons . The rank lies between corporal and flight sergeant ( or chief technician for technicians and musicians ) . Between 1950 and 1964 in technical trades there was a rank of senior technician which was the equivalent of a sergeant . Senior technicians wore their chevrons point up . On 1 July 1946 , aircrew sergeants were re - designated as aircrew IV , III or II , replacing the chevrons with one , two or three six - pointed stars within a wreath and surmounted by an eagle . This was unpopular and in 1950 they returned to the old rank , but have worn an eagle above their chevrons ever since . Sergeants of the Royal Flying Corps wore a four - bladed propeller above their chevrons . United States . Army . In the United States Army , although there are several ranks of sergeant , the lowest carries the title of sergeant ( SGT ) . Sergeant is the enlisted rank in the U . S . Army above specialist and corporal and below staff sergeant , and is the second - lowest grade of non - commissioned officer . The rank was often nicknamed " buck sergeant " to distinguish it from other senior grades of sergeants . Sergeants in the infantry , for example , lead fire team s of four men . There are two fire teams in a 9 - man rifle squad , which is led by a staff sergeant . In the United States Army , sergeants , staff sergeants , sergeants first class , and master sergeant s are typically referred to in short form by their subordinates as " sergeant " , except in some training environments , or " first sergeant " in the case of first sergeants and " sergeant major " in the case of sergeants major , command sergeants major and the Sergeant Major of the Army . However , it is considered a good manner to address junior E - 8 by their full rank , time allowing , or " always " when they request it . Drill sergeant s are typically addressed as " drill sergeant " regardless of rank , though this term is used depending on post policy . When serving a tour as drill sergeant this is indicated by the traditional campaign hat , commonly referred to as the " brown round " or " smokey bear " . The drill sergeant will always wear the drill sergeant badge indicating he completed the school . The army drill sergeant badge appears on the right breast pocket . American Civil War . The rank was used by both the Union Army and the Confederate Army during the American Civil War . The same rank insignia was used similarly by both armies . Both varied the color of the stripes by assigning red for artillery , yellow for cavalry , blue for infantry and later in the war , green for sharpshooters . Some militia units varied these colors even further and had other colors including black and red with gold piping for various units . The rank was just below first sergeant and just above corporal . They usually commanded a section of twenty men with two corporals under him . As the war progressed these men were often in command of platoons and even companies as the units were depleted of officers during combat . Marine Corps . The United States Marine Corps has several ranks that carry the title of sergeant , the lowest of which is sergeant ( E - 5 ) . Marine sergeants are the fifth enlisted rank in the U . S . Marine Corps , just above corporal and below staff sergeant . Once a Marine reaches sergeant , their promotion no longer derives from a composite or cutting score ; instead , they receive a fitness report ( i . e . , a formal written evaluation , grading attributes from appearance and bearing to leadership and technical proficiency ) . Sergeants serve as squad leaders or platoon guide in an infantry platoon , while staff sergeants serve in the billet of " platoon sergeant " in rifle platoons and " section leader " in weapons platoons ( i . e . , machine guns , mortars , anti - tank / assault weapons ) An experienced gunnery sergeant in the infantry is typically in charge of coordinating operations and individual training for a company - sized group of Marines ( approximately 180 personnel ) . Infantry gunnery sergeants usually serve as platoon sergeant for a heavy weapons platoon before moving up to the Company Gunnery Sergeant billet . The US Marine sergeant is often referred to as the backbone of the Marine Corps . In the Marine Corps , enlisted ranks above sergeant are referred to as staff non - commissioned officers , or SNCOs . These ranks , staff sergeant through sergeant major , are always referred to by their full rank and never merely as " sergeant " . Gunnery sergeant s are commonly addressed as simply " Gunny " informally . Master sergeants are addressed as " Master Sergeant " or " Top " at the preference of the marine wearing the rank and dependent on the MOS community . Master gunnery sergeants follow the same protocol but are commonly referred to as " Master Guns " , or " Master Gunny " . Air Force . The U . S . Air Force rank of sergeant ( E - 4 ) was phased out in the 1990s . Previously , senior airmen were promoted to sergeant and granted non - commissioned officer status after 12 months time in grade ; this lateral promotion is no longer conferred and senior airmen compete directly for promotion to staff sergeant . The old rank of sergeant was commonly referred to as " Buck Sergeant " . In today ' s Air Force , the term sergeant refers to all Air Force non - commissioned officers up to senior master sergeant ( E - 8 ) . An airman who has achieved the rank of chief master sergeant ( E - 9 ) is referred to as " Chief " . Those in the grade of staff sergeant ( E - 5 ) and technical sergeant ( E - 6 ) are referred to as non - commissioned officers , while those in the grade of master sergeant ( E - 7 ) through chief master sergeant ( E - 9 ) are referred to as senior non - commissioned officers . Police departments and prisons . Sergeant is also a commonly - used rank within United States police departments . It ranks above " officer " and " corporal " , and it represents the first level of management within the organization . Most major departments , including the Atlanta Police Department , Chicago Police Department , Dallas Police Department , Houston Police Department , Los Angeles Police Department , Miami - Dade Police Department , New York State Police , New York Police Department , Philadelphia Police Department , San Diego Police Department , and the Seattle Police Department have the rank of sergeant . The rank of sergeant is also often used in American prisons . It is a supervisory rank above the rank - and - file prison officer . Vietnam . In Vietnam People ' s Army , sergeant ( " trung sĩ " ) is the second highest rank of non - commissioned officer . Sergeant is below master sergeant and above corporal . Types of sergeant . " Sergeant " is generally the lowest rank of sergeant , with individual military entities choosing some additional words to signify higher ranking individuals . What terms are used , and what seniority they signify , is to a great extent dependent on the individual armed service . The term " sergeant " is also used in many appointment titles .