Aurora City Manager Refrains From Providing Specifics In Explanation Of Police Chief Vanessa Wilson's Firing
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - Aurora's embattled police chief Vanessa Wilson is now out of a job. The announcement was made official on Wednesday morning.
"Chief Wilson prioritized community involvement. That's something that was a strength of hers, but there's more to being chief, and that involves management of the police department," said Jim Twombly, Aurora City Manager. "There also needs to be effective management of officers and staff and strategic approach to moving the department forward."
Twombly didn't give any specifics during the conference about why, and cited two main issues.
"Overall management and overall leadership," said Twombly.
The day prior to this decision, a CBS4 investigation found more than 2,500 unprocessed Aurora PD reports, dating back to 2021. The documents covered crimes like murder, carjacking, and child abuse.
Twombly denied this had anything to do with the firing, which was backed by Mayor Mike Coffman.
"I want to say thank you to Vanessa Wilson for her service," Coffman said as he began his statements.
He also told press he believed Wilson was the right person at the right time for the job.
CBS4's Mekialaya White asked Coffman why he didn't feel Wilson was right for the job currently.
"Given the fact that we have a rise in crime, there was a lack of urgency in her leadership in solving this problem, which caused me to support the city manager in this decision," he replied.
Aurora City Council Member Allison Coombs told White there are several city leaders that are passionately opposed to the decision, herself included.
"I do not support firing the chief. I think the message this sends is that as long as the police union makes enough noise, then they get to be in charge. And that means the decisions we have to make as policymakers are significantly hampered by a loud and aggressive minority."
She also says the decision undermines community trust.
"I think a lot of the work she's done has increased community trust and I think we now have taken several steps back in the ability to ensure the community really respects the police."
The attorney for Vanessa Wilson issued the following statement in full on Wednesday morning:
"This morning the City of Aurora fired Chief of Police Vanessa Wilson without cause after a concerted campaign by Council woman Danielle Jurinsky and other conservative city council members to smear Chief Wilson's reputation and credibility. Since assuming their positions, these council members have made it clear that they did not support Chief Wilson's efforts to implement the Court order to reform the police department and eradicate the systemic racism found by the Colorado Attorney General in the wake of the death of Elijah McClain. In an effort to justify getting rid of Chief Wilson, the City and Council have engaged in a conspiracy to leak misinformation to the media and falsely attribute responsibility for the department's long-standing historical problems to Chief Wilson. In reality, Chief Wilson made numerous attempts to have good faith discussions with the City leadership about these issues and repeatedly sought the resources necessary to resolve them from the City Council. City leadership refused these efforts, preferring instead to smear the reputation of a dedicated police officer who has served the Aurora Police Department for over two decades, and courageously agreed to take the helm in one of the City's most difficult times to bring needed reforms. The citizens of Aurora have the right to demand accountability from the City Manager and City Council who orchestrated this farce.
"I'm thankful for the opportunity to serve the people of Aurora. I am proud of its police officers and what we've accomplished together," said Chief Wilson. "I look forward to continue working in law enforcement to ensure transparency, reform, and accountability. We must all remain dedicated to practices that ensure the safety and well-being of our communities and the fair treatment of all citizens. During my time as Chief, my focus has been to bring about the reforms required by the consent decree and restore trust in our community. I am proud of the progress this department has made during the myriad of challenges that we have faced. I hope that the Aurora community understands that the amazing women and men of the Aurora police department care about them and will continue to protect and serve regardless of who leads this agency. I am proud to have been their Chief."
In interim, Division Chief Chris Juul will oversee Aurora PD. The department hopes to have a permanent chief in the next six months.