'A Lot We Have To Repair': Omar Montgomery Talks About Aurora Police Department Oversight
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - Changes at the Aurora Police Department are coming but it's uncertain if more scandals will surface before reforms can take hold, according to at least one community activist.
"We need to be able to have trust all the way around if we're going to be able to solve crimes, if we're going to be able to keep people safe. And more importantly for people to feel like, 'Hey I live in a city that loves me. I live in a city that respects me," said Omar Montgomery, the President of the NAACP Aurora Chapter.
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Montgomery was nearly elected mayor last fall. He's now been picked to be part of a task force with a dozen other community members to look into what kind of oversight the Aurora Police Department needs. Since the task force was formed last month, scandal has continued to swirl around the department.
"I think there are some officers there that I've had conversations with that are just as upset as the community in regards to what has taken place. Some may be reluctant to speak out but that's the culture we need to change," Montgomery said. "We have a lot we have to repair in the City of Aurora."
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Montgomery says the protests, that have only increased in size, scope and sound, are being heard in Aurora. A new police chief is expected to be announced later in the summer and reforms have been implemented since the Elijah McClain case began last August.
McClain, 23, died after a confrontation with Aurora police in August of 2019. Officers used a carotid hold on him and paramedics injected him with ketamine to subdue him. McClain suffered cardiac arrest that led to a loss of blood flow to the brain. He died three days later.
"What does public safety look like in the future of Aurora? So that the citizens can begin to have some type of trust or some type of information that they feel like things are moving forward," Montgomery said. "Our city needs trust in our criminal justice system and our law enforcement agencies. I'm hoping we'll have a police chief in the City of Aurora that will be able to build those bridges with those communities that have been impacted by some of the most recent events and some of the past events."
