Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain talks to area residents Oct. 24, 2024 at the Dayton Street Opportunity Center in Aurora. It was the first time the city’s new police chief met just with members of the public to offer his insights on possible changes in the police department. PHOTO BY CASSANDRA BALLARD, Sentinel Colorado 
Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain talks to area residents Oct. 24, 2024 at the Dayton Street Opportunity Center in Aurora. It was the first time the city’s new police chief met just with members of the public to offer his insights on possible changes in the police department. PHOTO BY CASSANDRA BALLARD, Sentinel Colorado 
Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain talks to area residents Oct. 24, 2024 at the Dayton Street Opportunity Center in Aurora. It was the first time the city’s new police chief met just with members of the public to offer his insights on possible changes in the police department. PHOTO BY CASSANDRA BALLARD, Sentinel Colorado
AURORA | In his first meeting with the public, police chief Todd Chamberlain said he stands behind state mandated police reforms for the department and defended a controversial attempt to recruit officers at a recent Trump campaign rally, saying rebuffing the event would make police appear ‘fascist.’
Chamberlain spoke Thursday to a group of about 60 people at the Dayton Street Opportunity Center, laying out his vision for improving police-community relations and increasing accountability within the department.
Chamberlain acknowledged the department’s troubled past, including being under a state consent decree and stressed the need for “transformational reorganization” to address systemic issues.
“It’s not just a matter of going through the consent decree and checking off boxes,” he said. “It’s about whether we are changing the organization.”
The Office of the Independent Consent Decree Monitor for Aurora, a private contractor, oversees the implementation of a consent decree between the City of Aurora and the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. This agreement requires Aurora to adopt reforms to enhance public safety and trust, such as updating policies, creating new training materials and improving transparency by sharing more information with the public.
The Consent Decree stemmed from an investigation initiated after repeated reports of misconduct and excessive use of force by the Aurora Police Department. The reforms are monitored to ensure compliance.
Chamberlain said he is committed to establishing a community advisory board to provide independent oversight even after the consent decree ends. The change would be a marked change in police and city policy, which previous police union leaders and some city council members have resisted.
“I want to have that independent community consent decree component,” he said.
Despite Chamberlain’s assurances, some community members expressed frustration with the timeline, urging the chief to expedite the process.
“We don’t need something two or three years from now,” one resident said. “We need it now.”
Chamberlain also addressed concerns about the department’s recruitment efforts at an Oct. 11 campaign rally for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Reports by the Sentinel of recruiters at the event prompted criticism from some city council members and state Sen. Rhonda Fields, whose non-profit organization sponsored the public meeting with Chamberlain Thursday.
Critics said that given Trump’s regular rhetoric around mass deportations using police, promotion of police brutality as strategy for crime prevention, and harsh criticism from opponents about Trump’s dog-whistle racism, recruiting among Trump’s most faithful fans was at best bad optics and at worst a decision dangerous to the police department.
“That shouldn’t have happened,” Councilmember Crystal Murillo said earlier this month. “One in five people in Aurora are foreign-born, and police are supposed to be working to rebuild trust in our community. Trying to recruit officers at a rally built on fear mongering, xenophobia, and all the phobias just feels like a really irresponsible thing to do.”
In response to earlier reporting by the Sentinel, Chamberlain said it was a good move to look for potential officers at the Trump event.
“Last I checked, political affiliation doesn’t exclude you from being a police officer,” Chamberlain said in an Oct. 15 social media post. “The decision by our officers to attend Friday’s rally shows initiative and is in line with our commitment to draw a diverse and large pool of candidates to alleviate our present staffing issues.”
That drew more criticism on social media, including from Fields.
“This public response, as reported, strikes me as insensitive and disappointingly lacking in empathy for Aurora,” Fields said in her own social media post last week.
Chamberlain on Thursday continued to defend the decision, stating that political affiliation should not disqualify someone from becoming a police officer.
“I stick by my statement: I don’t think a political affiliation eliminates somebody from being a police officer,” he said. “It doesn’t. If we did that, this would be a fascist country, and I got a lot of problems with that.”
Chamberlain said there was no dedicated recruitment booth set up. Recruitment officers were sent to the event with an estimated 17,000 attendees mingled with the crowd. While there, they took the opportunity to connect with potential police candidates, Chamberlain said.
The chief said that Aurora is suffering from a police staffing crisis, and it would be wrong to exclude individuals based on political affiliation and said the department will continue similar recruitment efforts. The chief did not address criticism about differentiating between party affiliation and the uniqueness of Trump rallies.
He said police recruiters have also attended Global Fest, Aurora Pride, Cinco de Mayo, Juneteenth, Black Arts Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Taste of Ethiopia, Blue Angels and more.
His comments did not seem to appease the crowd on Thursday, with many in the audience murmuring and gesturing their disapproval while Chamberlain continued to talk. Others in the audience said they were frustrated with the focus of the meeting onthe police presence at the rally and wanted to focus on other essential topics.
One of those topics was police accountability and the use of excessive force.
Regarding accountability, the chief provided data on the department’s use of force, stating that in 2023, there were 183,018 calls for service, resulting in 487 use-of-force incidents at a rate of 0.3%. He also noted that there were two officer-involved shootings that year, a rate of 0.001%.
Chamberlain did not address the racial data from those use-of-force incidents, which are linked overwhelmingly to people of color, which was a large part of what prompted the push for the state consent decree.
“When you talk about accountability, trust me, I’m around accountability,” Chamberlain said. “I understand accountability, and I also understand the facts.”
However, some attendees pushed back, including Fields, who cited recent incidents of excessive force and the need for more transparency around such cases.
The chief also addressed the impact of the influx of immigrants in Aurora, acknowledging the state and regional lack of planning and support for the estimated 40,000 individuals who have arrived in the metropolitan area. He emphasized the need for better integration and services to prevent the potential for increased crime and gang activity.
“Desperation will become desperate acts,” Chamberlain said. “When you see these people out in the middle street panhandling. When you see these gangs increasing, that is the exact result of poor planning, of no planning and basically saying, ‘Hey, this is the situation. Deal with it.’”
On repeated occasions, Chamberlain has stood behind comments saying that the threat of Venezuelan gangs in Aurora is exaggerated, and that police have not lost control of localized problems in northwest Aurora.
Trump and, locally, Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky, have repeatedly pressed a disputed narrative on national right-wing television shows that all or parts of the city are overrun by Venezuelan gang members, and that Aurora police conspired with state officials to downplay and cover-up the gravity of the issue.
Jurinsky produced parts of leaked internal police emails on Thursday, alleging they were proof of coverups. A city spokesperson refuted Jurinsky’s claims.
Chamberlain moved on from the Venezuelan issue and used the same concept to emphasize the root of all crime. He said the solution requires more than just offering immediate food or a few dollars; it is a systemic issue where people and his officers, specifically, see people who are struggling as individual humans who need more than a one-time handout.
Topazz McBride, a pastor on staff at Restoration Christian Fellowship, asked about a recent announcement of the city closing Aurora’s Pellet housing, and he asked Chamberlain for information or help, which Chamberlain said he would be interested in finding solutions.
“We’ll try to arrange to get that aspect of the city to come out because I think that there are locations where those people can transition to even when they want to.”
Throughout the meeting, the chief emphasized his commitment to building relationships with the community, reducing crime and addressing issues like homelessness and youth engagement. He said he wanted to continue the dialogue and welcomed further opportunities to engage with residents.
Chamberlain’s qualifications and why he said he is the best person for the job
Chamberlain offered the audience an overview of his career, which included a lengthy tenure with the Los Angeles Police Department. There he held various leadership roles, including serving as the department’s first homeless coordinator.
Highlighting his experience in Los Angeles, the chief discussed his work in building community trust and addressing homelessness collaboratively. He described the creation of the Homelessness Outreach Psychiatric Evaluation Team, which brought together law enforcement, community groups and social service providers to offer comprehensive support to individuals experiencing homelessness.
Chamberlain also spoke about his time as the chief of police for the Los Angeles School Police, where he focused on early intervention and addressing mental health issues, abuse and victimization among students. He mentioned his involvement with the National Network for Safe Communities, which uses programs like Operation Ceasefire to provide alternatives and support for individuals at high risk of engaging in violence.
Addressing the challenges facing Aurora, the chief emphasized the importance of proactive policing while ensuring that officers operate within the bounds of the law and with a focus on ethical and constitutional practices. He underscored the role of data and analytics in understanding crime patterns and effectively deploying resources to address hot spots.
The chief acknowledged the city’s changes, noting that the “old Aurora” is not returning.
Instead, he expressed a vision for a collaborative approach involving law enforcement,
community groups and businesses to create a safer and more vibrant city.
Chamberlain asked for the community’s support and partnership, recognizing that addressing the city’s challenges will not be an easy task but one he is committed to tackling head-on.
Really Todd? Are you serious or delirious! So let me get this straight.
If the “Proud Boys, KKK, the “Oath Keepers, or that SUPER Antisemitic SCUMBAG Nick Fuentes came to Aurora, and got a legal permit to hold a rally, would you be at these rallies recruiting? I guess you would, based on your illogical comments about casting a wide net to obtain a “diversified” police force representing and serving the “best interests of our “diverse community”.
LOL, please. Yoru side doesn’t even want a police force. You made that very clear 4 years ago at your “big block parties.”
Really? Who in the hell is “your side”. You sound like another DUMBASS Trumper. If I have a side it is about truth and justice. Be careful of the “Venezuelan gangs”.
Trump saw many of them in Aurora behind every coconut palm tree here.
And you sound like another knuckle-dragging chimp. You wouldn’t know “truth and justice” if it put you in handcuffs and defenestrated you. I appreciate you lying that there are no Venezuelan gang members in Aurora.
Now go shoplift a CVS.
You’re showing your low two digit IQ. The only real chimp is your dear leader with that orange rug on his head. He
calls it the “weave”. Be careful, you might trip over the Venezuelan gangs. You really are “too stupid to know you ate stupid”.
Glad you agree this political polarization needs to be escalated to Israel/Hamas levels, chimpy. You’re an expert on stupid because you see it all the time. It’s called a mirror.
I’ll bet you are proud of your 6th grade education.
It sure beats your kindergarten level education.
I disagree with Chamberlain about recruiting at any political event. I agree with recruiting at the festivals mentioned, but a political rally has a different focus. Today’s rallies are certainly marked by partisanship and sure to draw scrutiny. At best the recruiting at the rally was tone deaf! However, I was heartened to read about a community advisory board. I think it would be wise to form one now as the department progresses through the consent decree. I was also heartened to read that changes to training are coming. I hope that de-escalation techniques are central to this training as are situational assessments. It seems to me that a lot of these incident arise from a rush to control situations before realistic assessments are made, particularly if no imminent threat to officer’s safety is present.
This was a rally by the Republican nominee for President. Please take your red herring somewhere else. BTW, Nick Fuentes doesn’t endorse Trump, but you knew that already, I’m sure. At least you have demonstrated to everyone here that you are a committed fascist yourself. Sounds to me like you would support purging all Republicans from Aurora.
He is a racist and an antisemite. If you like him feel free to kiss his ass and invite him to your house to have dinner. If he is good enough for Dear Leader he should be good enough for your low two digit IQ.
Fascist says what?
Yes of course. Sounds like you like Nick Fuentes. By the way, was there a Holocaust, or is that “Fake News”, like said? . Is COVID a “Democrat” hoax? Really are you that stupid to believe this bullshit. Fear, anger, and grievance, are the calling cards of your Dear Leader.
Way to admit you listen to Nick Fuentes, vermin. Speaking of bullshit, your side is an entire cattle operation worth of it. The projection in your post can be seen from Pluto.
I think your brain is an “orphan” from reality. By the way, you have permission from “Dear Leader” to start saying disgusting things about Puerto Rico. You really are, at best a “brain stem”.
Coming from a waste of carbon molecules like you, Simple Simon Slack-Jaw, I’ll take that as a compliment.
No need to say anything about Puerto Rico, which got sued by the EPA for its toxic landfill, but if you want to see something disgusting just look in the mirror again.
I have never listened to a word Nick Fuentes has uttered and don’t care to. It is fascinating you dolts will take one sentence and form and entire unrealistic life story for anyone you disagree with to justify your hate for someone on the internet you’ve never met.
Sure. We all take your asshole Dear Leader out of context. Just admit it. You are a racist supporter, running scared with fear, rage, anger, and grievance.
How do I know that? Because you believe Trump’s bullshit
Good idea
Maybe Aurora should be sending recruiters to Hitler Youth rallies. Plenty of recruitment opportunities among the Nazis of our country.
Yes, Jeffy-poo, we know how much you hate your political allies being given jail time for stealing from businesses and killing people.
Although there is much to discuss of substance, many people want to mire themselves in political gamesmanship. The police should not care about what party someone supports. There are many people voting for Trump who can’t stand him. If the police allow themselves to consider political affiliation and to take sides, then the whole idea of fair and impartial justice goes out the window. It is the reason why many people cannot be police officers. The idea is to be an impartial judge of the facts. The test of an officer, who is supposedly screened before hiring, is whether he /she can be impartial in policing. We all have prejudices. But any officer who enforces their prejudices does more damage to the police department and to our system of government than any criminal. Ideally, that officer is also guided daily by statements and examples set by his Chief and all of the chain off command. The sergeant is a critical part of that daily reinforcement. Unfortunately, APD has long lacked ethical leadership and often that lack of ethics has extended up into the City Manager and the Mayor. Chief Chamberlain showed some backbone during the meeting. If he continues to show some backbone and good judgment in backing the officers when they are right, then there will be some positive effect on the officers. He has, at the same time, shown the necessary dishonesty that is required to obtain the position. Any chief who answered honestly about the consent decree or the “Police Reform Bill” would not get the job. The justification for the consent decree is shallow at best and dishonest at worst. First, the incidents that were used to show racial bias were for the most part only the fact that the people involved were black. Secondly, the idea that we will establish racial parity in arrests and contacts is absurd. Other Colorado cities’ arrest statistics are more disproportionate than Aurora’s. Notice that the City has not talked more about racially proportionate stats since they started “data based policing”. That term itself is a joke since the department has been doing data based policing for at least forty years. The idea behind the consent decree that you can make the stats racially proportionate is a joke. But we all have to pretend because we don’t want to offend anyone. The reality is that there is a cultural problem, in the black community and in some of all communities, that allows and even promotes crime. When you watch groups of black youths looting, ask yourself how many white people the police will have to arrest to balance the stats. When you see black gangs repeatedly involved in violent crimes, ask yourself how many white people will the police have to arrest to balance the stats. The police now are mostly reactive, thanks to the efforts of Rhonda Fields and Leslie Herrod. On any given night in Aurora, there are hundreds of calls pending. The officers can only respond to so many. Rhonda Fields and Leslie Herrod trimmed thousands of officers out of police work with their “Police Reform Bill”. No one will talk about that. So officers are showing up a day after a sex assault. They have to immediately start with an apology to the rightfully angry victims. It may be an hour before the police respond to a threat to your life. When the officers respond to shootings, they can only arrest the person involved. Race is what it is. Can’t change that. So, like it or not, the stats will stay disproportionate unless the police quit even responding to crime. Like immigration, it will take a long time for common sense and reality to take hold. Unfortunately, there are few who will understand or have the courage to fix what needs to be fixed. Aurora PD has training problems, as do most police departments. There are serious tactical deficiencies within the department. There is no requirement for supervisors to know anything about use of force or tactics. The basic training they receive is woefully inadequate and is not reinforced. The supervisors and command staff are not requiring that officers use cover and protective equipment in such a way as to lessen the need to shoot immediately. The tactics exhibited by the SWAT team show a lack of knowledge and a military influence that emphasizes shooting and de-empathizes tactics that would reduce the risk to everyone. APD exhibits training and supervision deficiencies that have nothing to do with a lack of bias training. I was talking to an officer lately about the conditions in Aurora. The officer, who had worked elsewhere, was speaking about how violent Aurora was. I laughed, of course, because I had spent many years in tactical units in the City. Part of the discussion was about how this experienced officer had to handle fights with young poorly trained officers and then had to face criticism from supervisors who were poorly trained and running scared because of the conditions cause by the consent decree and the general narrative. There is much to be fixed. It can’t be fixed when you have City and police leadership who play political games and refuse to honestly address issues like the consent decree and the “Police Reform Bill”. APD will continue to have civilian input in the way of advisory groups. These groups will be people with agendas but no knowledge of how it all works. Their input is mostly just a feel good exercise. What is actually needed is informed debate. The City cannot afford that. You would actually hear some truths and some political careers might be in jeopardy. I was at the Chief’s meeting with the public. I kept my mouth shut. In fairness to the Chief, I did not want to embarrass him when he is still getting this feet on the ground. As with most chiefs, I wanted to say “Why don’t we talk specifics and I will tell you why that is just nice theory”. But, he seems to be motivated. He has the courage to stand behind his convictions and tell the public some things they don’t want to hear. What is always in question is the technical knowledge necessary to develop tactics and attitudes that are effective in a real world. If your neighborhood is constantly being victimized, you really aren’t concerned about the task force to address robberies, auto thefts, and murders. How do they bring respectful, consistent enforcement into the problems in your neighborhood? Not just nice meetings. How do they develop a relationship that makes for quick, responsive action on problems in your neighborhood? I can answer that. But it requires a long term plan and effective leadership. The City has not had either.
Don,
You are the best treatment for insomniacs. Blah,Blah, Blah, Blah.
We don’t need a dissertation from a wanna be or wishful PHD candidate to make a simple point.
Thanks for copping to that 30-second attention span of yours, spastic.
Because trying to recruit at a fascist event for supporters of a fascist dictator-wannabe…doesn’t make you appear fascist?
Yes, to marxists, anyone who resists their stupid political theology is a fascist.
Your side sure does hate the taste of its own “liberating tolerance.”
Hey brain stem, why don’t you define a Marxist, since DUMBASSES like you use that term along with Fascists, and Communists. And dumbasses like you don’t even know the differences. If you did you would not say them as if they are the same.
Hey vermin, I know you’ll play the No True Marxist game like your side always does, but it’s very simple even for Simple Simon Slack-Jaws like you: someone with a political theology of circular reasoning that belies in an Oppressed/Oppressor false duality. And to marxists, anyone who doesn’t believe in this stupid political theology is a “fascist.”