Officer

An officer is a person in a service organization, such as police, navy or a military force, who is charged with responsibility over the actions of subordinates or another general set of duties. In the strictest command structures, the only persons allowed to legally give orders are those who have been granted officer status, referred to as their commission. More often in police forces, any member of the organization expected to perform a full range of police duties is referred to as an officer.
See also: enlisted; noncommissioned officer; cadet; warrant officer; field officer; staff officer; command officer; flag officer; provisional officer.