Background on the Elijah McClain Case
Visit this link
to view the complete press packet from the Aurora Police Department,
including Aurora Fire Rescue Ketamine Protocol and Combative Patient
Protocol, the Adams County Coroner's Report and the 17th Judicial
Investigation Report.
Visit this link to view additional information from Aurora Fire Rescue on the case.
Community Police Task Force
Mayor Pro Tem Nicole Johnston, with the full support of the mayor and
City Council, led the effort to create a Community Police Task Force.
The mayor called a special meeting of the Aurora City Council for 6 p.m.
Monday, June 15, to approve the members of the Community Police Task Force.
The Community Police Task Force will review current police operations
and procedures and make recommendations about changes and potential
community input on critical incidents. The task force will include
leaders and advocates from the community of faith, NAACP, criminal
justice reform organizations, educators and Aurora Key Community
Response Team, as well as other individuals from the community.
Changes to Police Directives
The city of Aurora and Aurora Police Department have recently
re-examined the police department’s use of force policies. On June 9,
the city held a press conference and announced changes to Aurora Police
Department’s directives. All directives can be found at AuroraGov.org/PoliceDirectives. The updated/added directives include:
- 5.1 Authorized Firing of a Weapon – This directive is being
clarified to include the requirement to provide a warning before
shooting. This has been the department’s practice and training, which
the policy is being updated to reflect.
- 5.8.3 Carotid Control – The carotid hold is no longer authorized.
- 5.9 Duty to Intervene – A new directive requires any sworn
member who witnesses another member (regardless of rank) using force in
the line of duty that is clearly beyond that which is objectively
reasonable, and lawful, shall, when in a position to do so, safely and
immediately intervene to prevent and/or discontinue the use of force.
- 5.10 Officer Relief – This new directive applies in cases
involving a significant physical altercation. The first arriving
officers who are not immediately necessary to go “hands-on” to control
the subject shall relieve the officers who were involved in the
altercation. This should help in de-escalating the situation and
preventing the potential for excessive force.
- 8.48 Suspicious Calls – This new directive provides that
responding officers will, when responding to a suspicious person call,
first observe the party and make their own determination whether the
person is acting suspiciously and whether the person is engaging in
criminal activity.
The mayor and City Council are committed to continued conversations
with the Police Department about their concerns and the community’s
concerns. A recording of the special council meeting to discuss the
police response to protests can be found at AuroraTV.org.
The following statement was issued June 5 by the Mayor, City
Council Members and City Manager in response to the killing of George
Floyd:
As our country faces uncertainty, discord and deep pain, we know it
is having a significant impact in our community and rightfully leading
to an examination of our own past, our current practices and the changes
we have made and must continue to make for our future.
The killing of George Floyd was wrong. Many people have courageously
exercised their right to be heard through peaceful protests and
meaningful conversations. At the same time, recent days have seen
destruction, violence and disregard for fellow human beings, and we
can’t lose sight of the fact that what precipitates these events are the
repeated images, over the years, of people of color losing their lives
unjustly. But it’s also more than that: it’s years of institutionalized
and government sanctioned racism that has robbed generation after
generation of African Americans of their human and civil rights.
As a government entity we represent a force guilty of past
oppression. Over the years, local governments have enforced restrictive
zoning and covenants, segregation, curfews, made infrastructure
decisions to isolate people of color, and permitted disparate
enforcement of laws, just to name several practices used. As a local
government we must take a leadership role in being an agent for change
and be a part of the solution.
A first step for Aurora was the creation early this year of our
Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. As this effort moves forward,
its work will help us learn and give us the tools to be change agents.
It is vital that in addition to raising our voices in support of what
is right and calling out what is wrong, we also listen and seek to
learn from each other. From these lessons, we will grow and make
critical changes. City leaders are eager to hear, learn and act.
Aurora is made stronger by the many voices and backgrounds of those
who call it home. We welcome coming together with our community for the
shared purpose of eliminating racial inequity and lifting up outcomes
for all.
Mike Coffman, Mayor
Jim Twombly, City Manager
Nicole Johnston, Mayor Pro Tem, Council Member, Ward II
Crystal Murillo, Council Member, Ward I
Marsha Berzins, Council Member, Ward III
Juan Marcano, Council Member, Ward IV
Alison Coombs, Council Member, Ward V
Françoise Bergan, Council Member, Ward VI
Curtis Gardner, Council Member, At Large
Dave Gruber, Council Member, At Large
Allison Hiltz, Council Member, At LargeAngela Lawson, Council Member, At Large
Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The city manager early this year created an Office of Diversity,
Equity and Inclusion that not only will be looking at the diversity of
our city workforce, but also recommending training for employees in
areas like implicit bias. The office also is home to our Community
Relations Division, which facilitates several community groups like the
Aurora Community of Faith and the Aurora Key Community Response Team,
which has since 1991 brought together community leaders and activists to
regularly meet with public safety officials to build trust and
communication between the city and various communities.