[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 118 (Tuesday, September 9, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1702]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO THE LATE SHERIFF RON COCHRAN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. PETER DEUTSCH

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 9, 1997

  Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the late 
Broward County sheriff, Ron Cochran. Sheriff Cochran was known 
throughout the community as a man who truly loved being a police 
officer. He was elected sheriff of Broward County in 1992 and pledged 
to change the direction of the police department from its traditional 
model of law enforcement to a humanistic approach. Successfully, 
although not without opposition, the Broward Sheriff's Office, and the 
residents of Broward County, embraced Sheriff Cochran and his 
innovative ways to execute strict law enforcement initiatives.
  Ron Cochran joined the Fort Lauderdale Police Department in 1958 as a 
patrol officer and gradually worked his way up to chief of police 
serving in this capacity from 1982 to 1987. From 1989 to 1992, he 
served the Broward School Board as the chief of the special 
investigative unit. He left that position in 1992 to run for sheriff of 
Broward County.
  Throughout his 40-year career as a law enforcement officer, Ron 
Cochran was known as a hardheaded officer and a warmhearted gentleman. 
He was devoted to strict enforcement of the law and to a keen 
understanding of the community he was driven to protect. While serving 
as the chief of police for the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, he 
designed a community policing strategy that worked to protect the 
community and also prevent crimes. His principal law enforcement 
achievement as Sheriff was the expansion of the community policing 
philosophy. He believed in a grassroots approach and strongly 
encouraged police officers to get to know the very people they had a 
duty to protect. Because of his initiatives, the crime rate dropped in 
Broward County and Sheriff Cochran was praised for his tenacity.
  Among his many accomplishments as sheriff, Ron Cochran emphasized 
rehabilitative programs such as the multimillion dollar southwest 
Broward County boot camp for juvenile offenders and intensive 
counseling for drug and alcohol abusers. His belief in people and their 
ability to change was evident in the programs he initiated in the 
community and throughout the Broward County Sheriff's Office.
  The people of Broward County will sorely miss Ron Cochran. Throughout 
his life those who knew him regarded him as a driven leader, a 
competent law enforcement officer, a humanitarian, a friend, a son, a 
father, and a husband. Now, he is remembered as a hero to the residents 
of south Florida.

                          ____________________