Officials say nepotism was not at play in the recent hiring of the Franklin police chief’s son to the department.
The city of Franklin and state of Indiana’s nepotism policies call into question hiring relatives when one relative would be directly supervising another.
The direct supervisor for patrol officers at the Franklin Police Department is Captain Scott Carter, who reports disciplinary issues to Deputy Chief Scott Summers. Those issues would not be reported to Chief Kirby Cochran Sr., but would be directed to the Franklin Police Merit Commission for action, said William Barrett, attorney for the merit commission.
The city’s website describes Cochran Sr. as being responsible for employees of the department, but since his son, Kirby Cochran Jr., would not report to him directly, it is not a concern, city officials said.
Cochran Jr. and another new hire, Dustin Barnholzer, were both sworn in as probationary police officers at the Aug. 16 Franklin City Council meeting.
Mayor Steve Barnett said he has faith in the merit commission’s process and that police leadership would do the right thing if any issues come up.
Cochran Sr. has knowledge of the hiring process but is typically not directly involved with it, Barrett said. The merit board decides whether someone is hired.
All candidates take the same physical agility test and written exam, submit to in-home character interviews, interview with all five members of the commission and undergo a background check, Barrett said.
If they perform well enough, they are placed on a 25-person hiring list that is in effect for two years, he said.
At the conclusion of each hiring process, the list is reviewed and approved by the merit commission. Candidates are contacted in the order they are placed on the list when there is an opening at the department, Barrett said.
Following that order is required by state law, he said.
If the prospective officer is still interested in the job, they take an additional physical agility test to make sure they are still physically fit enough for the job, Barrett said.
When Cochran Jr.’s name came up on the hiring list, the merit board double checked the ethics and legality before offering him a position, said John Shafer, president of the commission.
“Because he has the same name as the chief, we checked with our attorney and the city attorney, Lynn Gray. We wanted to make sure there were no issues with nepotism or favoritism. They both concluded there was none, so we voted to proceed with the hiring,” Shafer said.
The commission takes an impartial look at the city’s police force on behalf of the citizens. They take their work seriously by carefully reviewing the candidates and only hiring the best, he said.
“It is our job to make sure that everything stays above board and to work with the chief and the deputy chief. It is a way to support the community and the police,” Shafer said.
Cochran Sr. would not comment on the hiring of his son, but said it is not uncommon for careers in law enforcement to run in the family. Another of Cochran Sr.’s sons, Kerish Cochran, became one of the youngest police chiefs in the country in 2019, when he was hired as the police chief at Huntington University.
