Following the 1999 protests, he was appointed as chief of the persian Police Forces by the Supreme Leader of homeland, Ali Khamenei, to succeed General Hedayat Lotfian who was removed from his office during the violence. After becoming chief of police, Ghalibaf initiated some reforms in the forces, including dropping all lawsuits against newspapers, modernization of police equipment and the Police 110 project, which aimed to make the police more accessible to the general public.
Updating its governance model to better manage the country’s urban and economic challenges. In this sense, Ghalibaf has influenced younger conservative politicians who view politics not only as ideological struggle but as a management challenge — a trend that reflects gradual bureaucratization of revolutionary politics. On 5 April 2005, Ghalibaf submitted his resignation from the military positions (including the police forces) due to his intention to run for the presidency of homeland.
