Derek Cochran began his law enforcement career in July 1996. Hired by the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office, he started in the jail division as a line deputy. Completion of Jail School in November 1996, Mandate in November 1997, and Field Training Officer Certification in August 1998, led to his promotion of sergeant in September 1998. Having the desire to stay in the jail division and to help his employees, he completed P.O.S.T. General Instructor Certification in December 1999. After some of his deputies were having a hard time passing the firing range in mandate, he became a Firearms Instructor in January 2001 to help them in their training. Since then, he has attained Glock Armorer (since 2001), Patrol Rifle Instructor (2002), Chemical Munitions/Less-Lethal/Flash-Bang/Aerosol Instructor Certification (2007), AR-15/M16/Sub-Machine Gun Armorer (2007), all levels of Supervision and Management, Incident Response to Terrorist Bombings (2008), and Hostage Negotiations Training thru the State and F.B.I. He has been a member of the American Jail Association since (2000), Georgia Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors since (2001), and Georgia Jail Association since (2001). In January 2001, he was assigned as Captain (Assistant Jail Administrator) over the Bartow County Jail, the title he still holds today. Along with this responsibility, he is a Hostage Negotiator for S.W.A.T. and instructs Fingerprinting at the Regional Academies and local Law Enforcement Agencies.

Captain Cochran is married and has two daughters, one eleven and one sixteen. He is a member of the Philadelphia Baptist Church in Calhoun, Georgia, where he is active in the choir and loves singing with his family.

“I have devoted my Law Enforcement career (13 years) to the Jail Division. We have worked hard to train and develop new employees into good, respectable officers. My heart remains in the Jail setting, where I hope to complete my retirement some day. I have not missed a GJA conference since 2001, always looking forward to the training we receive. I would greatly appreciate your vote for Region I Representative. I will work as hard for you as I have for my department. GOD Bless each of you.”