![](https://1350kman.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bill-Cochran-214x214.jpeg)
(Topeka Police Chief)
TOPEKA, Kan. — Topeka Police Chief Bill Cochran has revealed he’ll retire at the end of the year.
The Capital-Journal reports that Cochran’s retirement, effective Jan. 1, was announced Tuesday at a City Council meeting. 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. Cochran says he and his wife recently became grandparents and that, “It’s time to be a grandpa.”
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.