Central's police chief race isn't settled yet. Incumbent Chief Roger Corcoran and challenger Larry “Lew” Walters are headed to a runoff after neither man cleared a majority in balloting this week, with Corcoran trailing Walters by just 144 votes in complete unofficial returns.
According to WBRZ, Walters pulled in 4,552 votes, or 38 percent, while Corcoran collected 4,408 votes, about 37 percent. A third candidate, Paul Kimball, finished with 3,034 votes and was eliminated from contention. The station reported the two remaining candidates will go head-to-head in a runoff election for the Central Police Chief post, with voters set to return to the polls Saturday, Dec. 12.
Corcoran has held the job since he was first elected in 2018, meaning he has spent eight years running the department, as Unfiltered with Kiran reported. Before becoming chief, he spent decades as a detective with the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office. He had been seeking a third term in office, pointing to four decades of law enforcement experience overall, the station notes.
Walters Brings Nearly Three Decades on the Force
Walters, who has more than 28 years of law enforcement experience, began his career at the West Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office before moving to the Baton Rouge Police Department, where he worked in numerous divisions and was assigned to the marshal's task force, per Unfiltered with Kiran. He has said he wants to bring “integrity and respect” to the city of Central if elected.
With nearly three decades of experience in the capital area, Walters has said his goal, if he wins, would be to build up the police force, WBRZ reported in earlier coverage of the race. That same reporting noted Walters declined the station's offer to lay out a fuller plan and vision for the city ahead of the election.
Kimball's Elimination Ends a Three-Way Contest
Kimball, a retired federal agent, had campaigned on building stronger relationships between law enforcement and residents, which he described as key to successful public safety, according to WBRZ's earlier reporting on the three-way race. Per Unfiltered with Kiran, Kimball began his career at the Baker Police Department, where he served for 13 years, before spending 20 years at the Inspector General's Office investigating cases and working as an investigator for Blue Cross Blue Shield. WBRZ had reported that Kimball most recently served as an Assistant Special Agent in Charge at the Inspector General's Office. His 3,034 votes were not enough to advance him past the first round.
Budget and a Possible Full-Time Department Loom Over the Runoff
The race has unfolded against a backdrop of questions about how Central funds and structures its police force. WBRZ's earlier reporting noted that the city's 2026-2027 budget allocated $1.4 million to the police department, a figure that has shaped debate over the department's future. For the past eight years, Corcoran has been following his own plan as the city's top officer, per that same reporting.
Those budget questions tie into a broader conversation Corcoran raised earlier this year about Central's hybrid policing model and whether the city should move toward a full-time department. In a podcast appearance with Unfiltered with Kiran in May, Corcoran discussed funding options that could eventually make such a full-time department possible.
With Kimball out of the race, Central voters now have a head-to-head choice between an eight-year incumbent and a challenger with deep roots across multiple capital-area agencies. The runoff on Dec. 12 will determine who leads the department going forward.
