Jon Johnson File Photo/Gila Herald: Graham County Detective Mike Cochran has been named as the new Graham County Jail Commander.
By Jon Johnson
GRAHAM COUNTY – Graham County Sheriff’s Office Detective Mike Cochran has been tapped to be the new jail commander for the Graham County Adult Detention Facility.
Cochran takes over for former jail commander Tim Graver, who – after 17 years at the helm – was terminated in August after an investigation into an allegation of sexual harassment from a detention officer. Graver has reportedly since taken a job as a detention officer in Apache County. Cochran previously served in both the Safford and Thatcher police departments and was an investigator for the Graham County Attorney’s Office for a number of years.
On Monday, Nov. 4, the Graham County Board of Supervisors approved Cochran as Graham County Sheriff P.J. Allred’s handpicked successor to Graver.
The position runs the $25 million, 68,000-square-foot-facility, which is being paid by a jail district half-cent sales tax that began July 1, 2015, and is expected to be in effect until July 1, 2040. The tax passed by just 63 votes out of nearly 7,000 cast in the November election.
As for the old jail, the site was traded to the city of Safford, which is building a $2.5 million, 6,000-square-foot police department expansion. The project will also update the Safford Police Department’s current 4,400-square-foot building.
