AURORA | Aurora residents got their first look at the four finalists for Aurora police chief during a public meet and greet Friday night at the Aurora Municipal Center.
The four candidates were chosen from more than 30 potential candidates to replace Chief Dan Oates, who left in May to take a job in Florida.
The finalists are: Commerce City Deputy Chief Fran Gomez; Peoria, Ariz. Chief Roy Minter; Seattle Assistant Chief Nicholas Metz; and San Antonio, Texas, Assistant Chief Jose Bañales. Gomez and Minter are former high-ranking Aurora police commanders and longtime veterans of the police department.
During Friday’s event, the four finalists met individually with a handful of local residents who came out to meet them. Residents were asked to fill out a questionnaire about the candidates at the end of the event. The finalists did not make public speeches, but fielded questions from residents.
Sharon Ward, who has lived in Aurora for 50 years, said she wants a chief who is committed to the department’s Police Area Representative program — a popular initiative that sees officers forge close ties with individual neighborhoods. She also said she would like to the department utilize neighborhood watch more than it does now.
Ward said she doesn’t have a preference when it comes to a chief with ties to the department or one from outside. An outsider might come in with fresh ideas, she said, but a longtime APD veteran might have relationships with the rank and file that could help.
“It depends on who the person is,” she said.
Barb Johnson, who has lived in Aurora for 32 years, said whoever the chief is, they need to be personable and able to connect with the entire community.
“I want an individual who will be able to work with the least educated person on the street as well as city council and the city manager’s office,” she said.
Tom Sullivan, whose son, Alex, was one of 12 people gunned down during the July 2012 Aurora theater shooting, said he wants a police chief who will advocate for the stricter gun laws passed after the shooting. Sullivan said he wants a chief who backs the limit in high-capacity magazines, tougher background checks and measures that will keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers.
“I want to know where these guys stand on that, and if we will have their support in keeping what we have,” he said.
Sullivan said it is also important that the new chief recognizes that the city, as well as many of its officers, are still grieving from that horrific night two years ago.
“They need to be aware of that and I’m curious as to what their positions are for helping those people out,” he said.
Lori Mackenzie, a spokeswoman for city manager Skip Noe, said Friday that Noe hopes to choose a new chief by early next month.