Aurora police on track to be in compliance with consent decree within 5 years

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has a close eye on police reforms that are in progress in Aurora. The police department is revamping its bias and use-of-force policies as part of a consent decree that was instituted in 2021.

"How do we build confidence in our law enforcement system and how do we advance public safety?" Weiser said during an open discussion this week in Aurora during which the monitor who oversees that progress presented his most recent findings.

The monitor found that in some cases that Aurora Police Department made strides, but a few practices need work. That includes encounters involving mental health.

"I believe that in the next 12 months we'll be able to build enough capacity in terms of the new hires that we'll be able to have a dedicated homeless outreach team," Interim Assistant Police Chief Art Acevedo said.

 
Acevedo said transparency is key to progress, and hopes residents will contact his department with any concerns about the reforms.

At the forum, Aurora city and safety leaders also answered questions from the public. Questions around bias training were directed to the police department, the fire department and the city manager. The hope is everyone will be trained by the end of the year.

Acevado is the third police chief in Aurora since the consent decree was approved. The monitor says that under his leadership, the department is on track to achieve full compliance within 5 years.

"At this point, APD and AFR are on the right track," the monitor said.