CROTHERSVILLE
On a recent day at work, Crothersville Police Department Officer Christopher Cooper was approached by Chief Brent Turner with an opportunity.
J.L. McElfresh had resigned to work at the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, leaving Turner without an assistant police chief.
Turner asked Cooper if he would be interested in filling that role.
Thinking back to when he started full time with the department in February 2016, Cooper said he never thought about moving up in the ranks.
He, however, couldn’t pass up this opportunity.
“I planned on just coming here and doing whatever the job asked of me and make the community a safer, better place and what it could be, so I feel honored to be able to hold this title,” the 26-year-old Crothersville native said. “I’ve worked as hard as I have the last three years, so I figure I might as well see what I can do in that role and see what I get.”
The Crothersville Town Council recently unanimously approved Cooper’s appointment as assistant police chief and paying him $17 per hour. Working 42 hours per week, his annual salary will be $37,128. He previously made $16 per hour and $34,944 per year.
Turner said one of Cooper’s responsibilities will be helping the other two full-time officers.
“Chris has been working hard, and I believe he has earned the promotion,” Turner said.
With Cooper moving up, Officer Matt Browning has been promoted to sergeant and will make sure all of the reserve officers have what they need, Turner said.
Cooper said one of his biggest adjustments will be going from night shift to day shift.
“That comes with the job, and I have to still do what I was doing on my night shift just as well as I’m doing on day shift,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot more go between here, here and here to places just to get everything done to make the department run smoothly. Other than that, I’m going to come to work and do what I’m asked to do every day like I have for the last few years.”
Cooper grew up in Crothersville and later graduated from Seymour High School in 2010. Eight months after that, he joined the U.S. Navy and served four years of active duty with the military police in Okinawa, Japan.
Once he returned to the area, he held a couple of jobs until applying for reserve and full-time positions with the Crothersville Police Department.
He landed a reserve role in September 2015 before being hired full time five months later. Within his first year of employment, he graduated from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy in Plainfield.
Cooper said it has been good serving the community in which he grew up because a lot of people know him. He also serves with the Crothersville-Vernon Township Volunteer Fire Department.
“I think with this title will come more responsibility, and I’m ready to see what I can work up to and what I can live up to, just see what all I can push my limits to doing and helping out where I can,” he said.