CENTRAL — Voters will soon choose a police chief for the City of Central. 

One challenger, former Baker Police officer Paul Kimball, has worn a badge for most of his life, and most recently he served as an Assistant Special Agent in Charge at the Inspector General’s Office, experiences he says equip him for leading Central’s Police Department.

"I have a saying in my campaign: you're not hiring a police officer, you're hiring a chief," Kimball said. “One of the reasons I'm running is because I think our budget has gotten out of control.”

For the past eight years, incumbent Chief Roger Corcoran has been following his plan as the city’s top cop, and he wants to finish what he started.

The 2026-2027 Central City budget allocated $1.4 million to the department. Corcoran attributes that big jump to upgrades and improvements around his department in order to keep up with city-wide growth.

"I started eight years ago with a plan, and I'm not finished yet," Corcoran said. “That went to buying cars, buying vests, buying guns, buying uniforms and even painting the inside of the police department.”

The third candidate, former West Baton Rouge and Baton Rouge Patrol Officer Larry “Lew” Walters, declined our offer to lay out his plan and vision for the city, should he win the Chief’s race.