The New Orleans Police Department has fired Detective Chad Cockerham, a veteran investigator and former member of an FBI task force, after an internal probe into alleged payroll and secondary-employment misconduct, his attorney said Tuesday. The move lands in the middle of a broader shakeup over off-duty details and questions about whether some officers double-billed the city. Cockerham’s attorney, Brigid Collins, said he plans to appeal the termination.
Internal records show sustained complaints
Internal affairs investigators sustained two of four complaints against Cockerham and opened a separate inquiry in 2024 into alleged payroll fraud and secondary-employment violations, according to NOLA. The outlet reported that Cockerham was pulled off the street and reassigned to administrative desk duty last year while those issues were under review. The same account says the department moved to fire him after concluding he was untruthful during the inspector general’s investigation.
Inspector General's probe and promotions review
The city’s Office of Inspector General previously reviewed anonymous accusations of cheating in the NOPD promotions process and found there was not enough evidence to support them. At the same time, the office said a metadata review of exam materials spun off a separate investigation into a possible lack of candor by an officer linked to the matter. In a public letter, the Office of Inspector General also urged NOPD to tighten how it manages secondary employment and payroll, recommending changes designed to cut down on openings for abuse.
Federal task force work and past legal challenges
Cockerham joined NOPD in 2009 and later served on an FBI task force that worked drug and firearm cases, according to court records and prior reporting. His name surfaced in a high-profile 2019 extortion case involving NFL safety Tyrann Mathieu, when defense attorneys argued in filings that Cockerham had a conflict because he was working a paid off-duty detail for the alleged victim shortly after signing a federal complaint in the case. They said that overlap raised questions about his credibility. WDSU reviewed and reported on those court filings.
Overtime review highlights payroll risk
The inspector general has separately warned that lax oversight of overtime is a recipe for payroll trouble. In a recent review, the office found NOPD officers logged more than 260,000 overtime hours between January and July 2025, with the city paying roughly $16.4 million for that work. The report recommended stronger payroll integration and verification measures to reduce the chance of fraud, recommendations that local coverage, including WVUE Fox 8, highlighted.
Legal fallout and defense requests
Defense attorneys have been pushing for information tied to the internal probe, arguing that any findings about Cockerham’s conduct could affect criminal cases where he played a role. In April 2025, a federal public defender informed the court that Cockerham was under investigation and asked judges to consider remedial steps in cases that may have relied on his work or testimony. Collins later told The Times-Picayune that NOPD fired him for alleged untruthfulness tied to the inspector general inquiry and confirmed he will appeal. Those filings leave prosecutors and defense lawyers to sort out what, if anything, needs to be revisited.
What’s next
The firing underscores the mounting pressure on NOPD brass to clean up how the department tracks off-duty details and overtime. The inspector general’s push for a systemic overhaul, combined with Cockerham’s pending appeal, means the fallout is unlikely to stop at a single officer’s career. The case could ripple through internal discipline decisions and criminal prosecutions that relied on his investigations, while city officials and prosecutors watch closely to see how any appeals and reforms play out.
