A longtime New Orleans police officer on the FBI task force was fired this week, according to his attorney, after an internal investigation tied to a controversial probe into alleged bias in the department’s promotions process.
Brigid Collins, the officer’s attorney, said her client, identified as Chad Cockerham, was terminated for alleged untruthfulness connected to an office of inspector general investigation.
The inspector general investigation grew out of a public dispute in late 2024 over promotions to captain and major within the New Orleans Police Department. Then-Mayor LaToya Cantrell objected to the results after reviewing final scores, prompting NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick to request an independent review…