Topeka Police Chief Bill Cochran announced retirement

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Topeka Police Chief Bill Cochran will retire at the end of the year, officials have announced.

Cochran’s retirement, effective Jan. 1, was revealed Tuesday at a City Council meeting, the Capital-Journal reported.

Cochran, who turns 56 in November, has been a Topeka police officer since 1987. He was appointed by city manager Brent Trout as interim police chief in November 2017, then as police chief in January 2018.

Asked the reason for his retirement, Cochran said he and his wife recently became grandparents.

“It’s time to be a grandpa,” he said.

City officials on Tuesday praised Cochran’s efforts to defuse tensions and reach out to the community during a tumultuous time for police departments nationwide.

As public protests against police brutality took place in cities around the country in the wake of George Floyd’s May 25 death while in police custody in Minneapolis, Cochran reached out to the community in Topeka, appearing in a rap music video and taking part in Black Lives Matter rallies.