Sam Cochran is a native Mobilian, who graduated from the McGill Institute and went on to attend the University of South Alabama, where he holds both a Bachelor and Masters Degree in Criminal Justice and Public Administration. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy. He began his law enforcement career with the Mobile Police Department as a police cadet, where he spent 31 years working his way through the ranks – serving the last 10 years as Chief of Police In 2006, Sam Cochran was elected Sheriff of Mobile County and re-elected to 4-year terms in 2010, 2014 , and most recently in 2018. Sheriff Cochran serves or has served the community on numerous agency boards, including the Penelope House, Drug Education Council, Boy Scouts of America, the Child Advocacy Center and Alabama Safety Institute, Inc. In 2015, Sheriff Cochran was appointed by the Governor to serve as a Commissioner on the Alabama Police Officers Standards and Training Commission. Sheriff Cochran and his wife Sabrina have four children and three grandchildren.