<p>To the editor:</p>
<p>Recently, the second Franklin Police Chief in a row has left under questionable circumstances. And in response, do you think our mayor chose to find someone (for once) who is qualified for the job? Nope! He hired yet another political hack.</p>
<p>What is going on in this town?</p>
<p>Nothing against Kirby Cochran, but it’s a fact that Mr. Cochran came in last place in a three-man election for sheriff. Dead last.</p>
<p>What does that tell you? It tells me that the voters didn’t trust Mr. Cochran to lead a law enforcement agency. If they had, they would have elected him.</p>
<p>What was lacking? Perhaps it was his qualifications or rather his LACK of qualifications. Mayor Barnett hired a chief of police who:</p>
<p>1) Has never been promoted. Not even once.</p>
<p>2) Has never supervised other police officers. Not even once.</p>
<p>3) Has not attended the FBI National Academy for Law Enforcement Leadership.</p>
<p>("The FBI National Academy is a professional course of study for U.S. and international Law Enforcement Managers nominated by their agency heads because of demonstrated leadership qualities." This is from their website.)</p>
<p>Mr. Mayor, come on! This guy (again, nothing against Mr. Cochran) has ZERO qualifications to be a chief of police besides having been a sheriff’s deputy for a good many years: a unpromoted, unaccomplished deputy.</p>
<p>How are the citizens of Franklin, let alone, the officers of the police department to have any confidence in a unqualified, unproven chief?</p>
<p>If Mr. Cochran had demonstrated any leadership during his many years as a deputy sheriff, don’t you think he’d have been promoted? Don’t you think he would have been invited to attend the FBI Academy? You’re supposed to work your way up to be a chief of police, aren’t you?</p>
<p>It’s like he just cut the line and had it handed to him. You’re not supposed to have it handed to you for being a good ol’ boy.</p>
<p>We need to remember this if we ever want to break the "good ol’ boy" system here in Franklin. You do that by voting the "good ol’ boys" out of office.</p>
<p>Let’s start with our good ol’ boy Mayor Barnett next election cycle.</p>
<p><p style="text-align: right"><strong>Charles Oliver</strong></p>
<p><p style="text-align: right"><strong>Franklin</strong></p>
