AG concerned about ongoing turnover, oversight in Aurora Police Department

DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is keeping a close eye on the Aurora Police Department, which just announced a new chief.

The department is subject to a 2022 consent decree and associated oversight after an investigation by the Colorado Department of Law, which Weiser oversees , found that the department had a “pattern and practice of violating state and federal law through racially biased policing, using excessive force, and failing to record legally required information when interacting with the community.”

Todd Chamberlain was named the new chief of the Aurora Police Department on Wednesday, although his appointment must be confirmed by a city council vote. The body will next meet on Monday, Aug. 26. He’s the fifth chief to take on the role in so many years, and will follow in the footsteps of Interim Aurora Police Chief Heather Morris.

It’s not an easy role to take on: The Aurora Police Department has been heavily criticized in recent years, with many critiques focusing on the 2019 death of Elijah McClain when the department was under different administrators, and no consent decree.

In 2027, a consent decree that the Aurora Police Department has been operating under since 2022 will expire, and with it, the department’s direct, third-party oversight will come to a close. Officials were asked Thursday what they were planning as they move toward the end of the consent decree.

Batchelor said the city will include funding in 2026 to reestablish an independent monitor, similar to Denver’s Office of the Independent Monitor . Chamberlain also voiced his support of a third-party monitor and oversight.

“I think it’s an important aspect. It’s something that we should not ever shy away from,” Chamberlain said. “I think if you have an organization or a department that is running properly, running ethically, doing all the correct steps, I think that should be applauded.”

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, whose office enforces the consent decree, began an investigation into the Aurora Police Department in August 2020, following the death of Elijah McClain. He said Thursday that he is concerned there would not be oversight of the department once the consent decree expires in 2027, and said the rapid turnover of chiefs at the department increases the need for department oversight.

“That’s why I’m calling for Aurora to establish a full-time permanent independent monitor, just like Denver has,” Weiser told FOX31. “My concern is the need for continuous improvement doesn’t end at the termination of the consent decree. the need for building community trust and ensuring there’s trusted oversight doesn’t end. With the sixth police chief in six years, we need stability. We need ongoing oversight: An independent monitor would provide that.”

Chamberlain was also asked about McClain, as well as his ideas surrounding the use of force by officers.

“For me, the use of force aspect is an incredibly important one. It’s not only about the incident of the force itself, it’s about how did the officers get to that force? What got them there? What was the steps they took from the first time they got that call for service until that force happened?” Chamberlain said.

He said that use-of-force incidents will happen, but the goal is to ensure there is not a “disproportionate” amount of such incidents. He argued that one of Aurora’s biggest issues is the community component of policing, as there is a question of whether the community feels it can trust the department.

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