<P> Assistant Police Chief Will Pope is a fictional character featured in TNT's The Closer, portrayed by J.K. Simmons . Pope is the Assistant Chief for Operations of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Pope, along with Commander Taylor, is one of two characters on the show who has a real - life equivalent, in this case Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger, Director and Commanding Officer of Office of Operations, Los Angeles Police Department . </P> <P> Despite bringing Brenda Leigh Johnson in for the job, he doesn't seem to want to let her actually do her work . He had an extramarital affair with Johnson when they worked together in Washington, DC . After he ended it, he divorced his first wife to marry a woman named Estelle, who eventually divorced him . This history causes some personal tension between the two of them . </P> <P> In season six, Pope expects to be on the short list to become the new Chief of Police but discovers he is not being considered . When Tommy Delk is named Chief, Pope is assigned to the traffic division and considers quitting the force . When Delk suddenly dies, Pope is named Interim Chief, to the surprise of many . </P> <P> Pope seems to still harbor feelings for Johnson, and he acts jealous of her relationship with Fritz Howard . </P>

Who becomes chief of police on the closer