Aurora to hire a public safety accountability manager
In less than six months, the consent decree entered into by the city of Aurora and the Colorado Attorney General's office will end. The city and community members are already looking toward the future to make sure there is accountability in the city's public safety department.
Dr. Thomas Mayes, the president of the Aurora Branch of the NAACP, says the sometimes fraught relationship between the community and the Aurora Police Department is nothing new.
"This isn't the first rodeo for the Aurora Police Department or our community. We've dealt with this for decades," said Mayes.
But he says six years ago it was worse than it had ever been.
"There is a flavor in the community, left by the Elijah McClain incident, the George Floyd incident. Those things will never leave," said Mayes.
High-profile cases like that of Elijah McClain led the city and state attorney general to enter into a consent decree to bring accountability to the public safety department. Mayes says inroads have been made since then, and he hopes that when the consent decree expires in February 2027 the police will continue to earn the trust of the community.
Aurora City Manager Jason Batchelor also wants to continue to build bridges. That's why the city is planning to hire a public safety accountability manager.
"Part of the challenge for this office is to really, you know, help us rebuild those bridges and connections with those parts of the community that, you know, have trust issues," said Batchelor.
The person hired will run the Office of Public Safety Accountability and "operate independently to strengthen transparency, accountability and public trust in Aurora's public safety systems."
To ensure they find the right person, the city will take into consideration what the public wants when making a hire.
"We'll reach out to whether it's existing groups in the city, whether that's, you know, our local NAACP branch, whether that's, you know, community of faith groups, lots of different groups," said Batchelor.
But the city is also asking people to give their two cents on the Engage Aurora website by filling out a survey. Mayes says he knows what he wants to see.
"Someone who knows Aurora. Most of the time they get someone from California or New York somewhere. And Aurora is unique," said Mayes.
If you'd like to give your input, you can do so on the Engage Aurora website.
