AURORA | Inmates from Aurora may be sent to Douglas or Broomfield counties next month after Aurora City Council approved a plan Monday with those counties to house nearly 20 municipal prisoners.
The plan comes after officials at the Denver jail — where some Aurora inmates have been housed since Adams County started limiting the number of municipal inmates allowed in
2012 — said they were running out of bed space. Zelda DeBoyes, the city’s court administrator, said close to 100 inmates have so far been refused from staying at the Adams County jail. The agreement with the counties provides bed space for up to 18 prisoners.
“We have run into a roadblock with Adams County. It’s a challenge, but there’s more than one way to handle a situation,” she said at a council meeting before the vote Jan. 27.
One of those challenges will be housing female inmates. DeBoyes said Broomfield does not have housing for women, and that Douglass County will be able to provide three beds for women out of the eight it has available.
DeBoyes said Aurora spent $134,698 to house inmates in Denver in 2013. Aurora housed inmates in Denver for $52 a day. According to city documents, the city will house inmates in Broomfield for $55 a day, and in Douglass for $51.45 a day.
Denver initially said that the Aurora inmates had to be out by Jan. 31, but that date has since been pushed back to Feb. 15 under an agreement to give Aurora more time to work on contracts with other jails, according to DeBoyes.
City council also gave preliminary approval to ask voters whether to make it harder for police officers to successfully appeal their discipline. The change is being pushed by City Attorney Charlie Richardson.
“This is not about Chief Oates or Chief Garcia and it’s not about any pending disciplinary matter,” he said. “It has do to do with the chiefs that I’ve been privileged to work with since 1976. I’ve worked with eight police chiefs and I’ve worked with five fire chiefs. It’s on behalf of that group that I bring this proposal to you.”
Richardson said the current process of police discipline, where the burden of proof is on the city to prove disciplinary actions against an officer, is cumbersome and costly. He said under current rules disciplinary appeals last several days, and sometimes a full week.
“The union lawyers are tremendous lawyers. It is rare the officer didn’t do the underlying act,” he said of most cases where disciplinary action is appealed. He described a culture of picking apart cases until trivial errors were found.
Several officers in recent years have successfully appealed their discipline to the commission and had their punishment overturned. In one case, an officer arrested twice on DUI charges got his job back after the chief fired him In another case, an officer fired after he called a man he shot a “marshmallow head” among other infractions was reinstated.
Leaders of both the police union and firefighters union said Jan. 7 they would oppose any changes to the commission’s rules.
In a memo to city council sent a few hours before the study session, the Civil Service Commission said it opposed the decision. The memo stated the proposed changes would “fundamentally alter the purpose of the Commission and its role in the Disciplinary Appeals process,” and that they would “adversely impact the ability of the City to provide a disciplinary appeal process that is fair to all parties.”
The commission requested that city council ask the city attorney’s office for historical data proving the commission had overturned enough of the police chief’s disciplinary decisions over the past decade to undermine his authority.
In 2006, Police Chief Dan Oates backed several ballot measures aimed at changing civil service rules as they relate to hiring and promoting officers. Those questions didn’t touch on the commission’s role in discipline cases.
After the police and fire unions outspent supporters of the measures by a 300-to-1 ratio, voters rejected the most far-reaching of the four questions, approving two other minor changes.
If the chief is going to ruin an officer’s life and career, who cares if Charlie finds it to be “cumbersome”? Who cares if it takes a few days? Answer: Charlie and Oates, that’s who. The accuser needs to prove it or lose it, simple as that. If you don’t have the chops to get it done in a day, that’s your problem and your making it the tax payers problem chief.
Citizens need to understand that from the police academy to the street, a department spends approximately $85,000 of OUR tax dollars for an officer to ride alone unsupervised. So, before our chief hot head fires a person, I want to be sure it’s justified. You know, like the shooting Falco was involved in was found to be? Justified. Oh, and his firing was found by Civil Service to not be justified.
Richardson said, ” it’s not about any pending disciplinary matter”. Oh how I doubt those words. I’d put money on it that Richardson and Oates have someone in mind to fire immediately, should they win this one. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure they don’t because our officers deserve a fighting chance to save their career without the expense of hiring attorneys first.
This would not be an issue if Aurora consolidated into a city-county! Just do it!
Did the city ever build out the City Detention Center? If not, how much would it cost to build it out to the County specs so we could house our own inmates? The money being spent paying for housing in other counties, and transportation costs would be better spent upgrading the city jail.
That’s a good point! There’s plenty of room to build out and/or up in all the County Jails!! This seems overly dramatic! This problem is an easy solution in many different ways!
Charlie and Oates are just pissed because the city attorney’s office is full of attorneys that are not good enough to practice on their own. Furthermore if Charlie and Oates had validated reasons to fire officers then they would not be overturned. Officers only go to civil service when they have been wronged by the almighty Oates and Charlie and they know that they did nothing wrong. Oates has a Hitler complex and thinks that he is the almighty. Maybe the public should go to Parker PD and Aurora PD and asked for the locked out reports of his daughters being contacted by both the Parker and Aurora PD and lying to the cops. The apple obviously does not fall far from the tree. As for Charlie and Oates whining about the beating they took in Falco’s hearing. I have on good authority that Falco will be having an open hearing about the shooting on Laredo and that he also has documents that will show Oates and Charlie tried to manipulate the first civil service hearing. I would asked that the public and the press go to that hearing and I will contact Falco to make sure of the date.
Well now you’ve got my attention! Concerning this right here:
Maybe the public should go to Parker PD and Aurora PD and asked for the locked out reports of his daughters being contacted by both the Parker and Aurora PD and lying to the cops.
Do you know when they were contacted, and for what reason? When you say “locked out”, are you saying someone buried the report or had it hidden?
Yes, can you help his daughters don’t know names but it is true and went nowhere. He is a monster and I will do anything in my power to see him fired!! He just took away our means of living and Falco’s 19 year career. Falco is an awesome person, husband, and would do anything for anyone and now we need people…..to help me enforce the actions I will take but need people help. I am sure 9 news, who love Oates will be on news but 7 news loves us or good cops. Thanks for support now we really have a wake up call to live and fight back once again!!!
JoeAnn schotzi93@comcast.net, my home personal email.
Are you saying Oates fired Falco AGAIN?
Ashley, everyone with Chris and I thought that Oates.was going. to fire him, even the union attorney thought he would just do it to be hateful. A lot of ppl said, Oates was going to actually fire him. Oates did not…I was shocked like Chris and a lot of ppl, Oates gave back McIrvin his initially reprimand. Chris got , 2 months without pay, yes he will APPEAL it in an open hearing and I will let you. know date and.time.
I cant wait to see Oates explain it All, and.the.THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS he used of City’s money to say, the shooting was wrong he just had to prove his was.right. I dont know what crawled up his ass Or WHO DID,? There is soft spot on that monster maybe you can find but if not, I am glad this phase of this 3 years of hell is somewhat over. I, thank you so much and all Chris, other supporters but I personally got to know.you…not you but a right good person who cares and feels, and yes want Oates out as bad, as his department.
From what I understand, it doesn’t take much to be found in contempt of Oates and once that happens, hell hath no fury.
Just to remind, I’ve never met an officer in this agency or any other agency that had anything good to say about Chief Oates.
I’ll spare you the expletives people have used to describe him to me.
The day before I called Marke A..P..A.., to ask what is going on and what have u done, he told me well…it doesn’t help when you shoot off emails it pushes every thing back. let me aasure, you I gave him a mouth full plus what a liar thanks for.nothing hang up call.
I don’t recall reading any article where I thought the APA went to bat for the officers.
oh, I heard either they.quit or Oates had something to do with this but the CITY.has 4 new council’s ???? could be a rumor but possible.
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I’ll be interested to know the outcome of the appeal. Do you know if anyone else has ever been docked two months worth of pay?
What was the reason given for the punishment?
True no one!!’….I.cant.think.of.anyone.who.got.docket for.two months without.pay?’ Oates just wanted the.last punched but in the open APPEAL HEARING I think Chris will have the right honest embarrassing moments, that will be pricelessOates will.be under OATH will a lot.of explaining. A guy named Peter Morales who.will represent the CITY? Chris and I, both know that months or.years down the road that he will be under Oates microscope but by then Oates is.long gone. Oates is going to lie under OATH at.that open APPEAL HEARING he will be embarrassed. I will.for.sure give.you the date and time…..its all wrong and even the first firing was a huge slap in oates face for.trying but I am so happy oates did not but we are going all the way.on this case. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT YOU HAVE.NO IDEA.HOW MUCH IT MEANS. These APD officers need to get a pair and get Oates ….out, he.is.a narcissistic MONSTER!”-keep in touch.
Who is Peter Morales? Just another snake attorney/bone collector for Charlie Richardson and Chief Oates?
dont exactly know but he is one of them I am sure…. you will.see at appeal HEARING and his non-sense of what.he.thinks he.knows!
Not a hundred percent sure but I believe that Chris heard that Chief Oates thinks that the shooting was Chris’s fault tell me how crazy is that it was a 911, he and the McIrvin respond these guys refused please commands and then trief to run them over and THIS IS HIS FAULT, who says that and why would.a chief.believe.that!!! That place had been getting hit for.years I went.one day and.they.said, no.more after.shooting. How about the stolen SUV and it’s all FALCO’s fault. OATES is s nut case even McIrvin.on tape and in writhing stated officer falco saved his life. good nite
its in the system but no one can access it, my husband heard.
one daughter lied to police 2_3 years ago, dont know about what, and the other claimed. boyfriend raped her but later changed her mind that one maybe t
is the aurora case. we tried to get.more when we heard this too.
r
Three different people from other agencies have told me they heard the same about calls for service to Chief Oates house by his daughters.
Why not check with Parker PD and not Aurora PD? There’s a little thing called the FIA (Freedom of Information Act).
If the information is open to the public then you’ll know what happened. If not, and you are told it’s “secured”, then something happened or there would be nothing to secure. Right?
I am sure but it’s sealed tight.
I would go to Parker PD., if I have a chance. how would I go about going and asking with no know years, or first.names?
I will, if.I.go.there.with.no info, just Oates name???
I would love to be Falco when he wins the next civil service hearing. The 570,000 that they paid those criminals will be small change of what a civil rights suit is going to pay Falco
What is Oates and Charlie going to say when Falco’s union attorneys make them look stupid again? Is Oates going to say its the civil service fault again? I just want to be Falco because civil attorneys are going to call him to take his case.
Now, I wish and demand that Oates leaves him alone !!!! I want Chris to go to any department he chooses soon, no more punishments because Oates hates him and I am sure its both ways, maybe all the way …who likes Oates except for Dan Oates. LEAVE THIS SMART COP ALONE HE.IS A HUGE ASSET FOR APD, QUALIFIED CERTIFIED AND VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE . AND, A WONDERFUL HUSBAND AND WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR ANYONE KINDA GUY. HE IS BETTER YOUR FRIEND THAN AN ENEMY, ASK OATES!!! CHRIS NEVER NEVER GAVE UP OR STOPPED THE BATTLE HE SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN PUT THROUGH AND HE IS A HONEST MAN TO SAY, IF I AM WRONG WELL THEN I’M WRONG…UNLIKE MARK FINNINI.