Samuel W. Nolan (died September 30, 1997) was an American police officer for the Chicago Police Department who served as the interim superintendent of the department briefly from April 25, 1979 or September 1, 1979 (sources differ) until January 11, 1980. Nolan was the first African American to serve in any capacity as head of the Chicago Police Department (it would not be until Fred Rice Jr. was appointed superintendent in August 1983 that the city of Chicago would have an African American serve as head of police in a permanent capacity).