Chief Petty Officer
From Starbase 900 Wiki
A chief petty officer is a senior non-commissioned officer in Starfleet. Chief Petty Officer is the seventh enlisted rank in Starfleet, just above Petty Officer First Class and below Senior Chief Petty Officer, and is a senior non-commissioned officer.
Unlike Petty Officer First Class and lower ranks, advancement to Chief Petty Officer not only carries requirements of time in service, superior evaluation scores, and specialty examinations, but also carries an added requirement of peer review. A Chief Petty Officer can only advance after review by a selection board of serving Senior and Master Chief Petty Officers, in effect "choosing their own" and conversely not choosing others.