Suzy asked David Putnam:

Dear Mr. Putnam, Sorry for any confusion, but my original question was whether the ranks of my characters were suitable to the time and place of 1920's Seattle. Three of the characters are ranked Chief-Inspector, Detective, and Chief. With your knowledge, do you have a (rough) idea of what their workload/duties are like? (You don't have to worry about the time period; I'm not asking for specifics). Thanks!

David Putnam Chief Inspector is almost always a British title. San Fransisco used to call their detectives Inspectors and they still might. But as far as I know after Inspector they go back to the standard rank structure. A Deputy Chief could be over all investigations he is strictly a manager though and doesn't go out in the field. But what the readers have come to expect is not necessarily what happens in real life.
A detective is on ground level he does the grunt work, the door to door investigations. The sergeant's span and control is controlling four detectives. A lieutenant would be in charge of four sergeants. A captain would head the homicide Bureau. A deputy chief of investigations would be over all investigations. In New York he called Chief of D's.
Sergeants and detectives go out into the field. I have never seen a lieutenant or captain out in the field. They are office managers.
If their is a sensational case that is going to get a lot of heat the deputy chief might come out to make sure everything is being handled correctly because it will eventually come back on him. Likewise with the lieutenant and Capt. but as a rule--everyday operations its the sergeant out in the field who supervisor four detectives. Work load really depends on the department and city budgets. Homicides are rotated and the rotations vary from dept to dept. A team might be carrying seven or eight homicides before the go cold. Homicide is very specialized with a lot of extra training. The clearance rate is supposed to be better than all other crimes. But if there is a active gang area, those cases many times go unsolved. They might be solved but can not be taken to court due to lack evidence so they might get a clearance similar to "Cleared by exceptional means."
Hope this helps. If you have more questions please don't hesitate to ask. Thank you. :-)

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