Local lawmakers and residents should not overlook an egregious gaffe Aurora police recently made, and appear willing to make again.
On Oct. 11, GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump descended on Aurora, drawing about 10,000 of his most fervent fans and supporters at the Gaylord Rockies hotel in east Aurora.
The sole purpose of his political rally here was to promote his false claims of Aurora being overrun by Venezuelan immigrants and gangsters. He came to embellish his racist, anti-immigrant campaign-threat to use police and U.S. military troops to round-up tens of millions of people suspected of being undocumented immigrants, forcing them into internment camps and then deporting them, somewhere.
Trump bombarded the Aurora crowd with the same deceits and disinformation that he dispenses everywhere he goes, drawing predictable cheers and hurrahs from the delighted crowd.
The Aurora rally, like most Trump rallies, drew throngs of people who cheered Trump as he promised to hunt down minority immigrants and prevent other immigrants from coming to the United States, even legally.
There were no surprises at the rally, except one: Two uniformed Aurora police officers working the crowd weren’t there to keep the peace. They were there, placards in hand, to encourage rally participants to apply for jobs as cops with the Aurora Police Department.
It takes little insight or imagination to recognize, and be shocked by, the incongruity of the blunder.
Few in the region, or even the nation, are unaware of the reputation and problems of the Aurora Police Department. This is a police department that has been lambasted, for years, for insensitivity to and abuse of people of color. While the vast majority of officers are professional, sensible and diligent public servants, a minority of miscreant and criminal police officers have been led and mismanaged by past incompetent police administrations.
The problem is so severe, that the state has mandated the abuses to stop and reforms be completed.
This is a city that wants those reforms. Aurora, like much of the nation, is repulsed by Trump’s overt and dog-whistle racism, where the nominee and his running mate insist that Black immigrants in Ohio steal and eat people’s house pets. They do not believe that Latino immigrants are “poisoning the blood” of the Aurora, or the United States.
Aurora is a city disgusted by Trump’s racist press against Muslims with bans and slurs. Aurora is angered by the harm caused to Asian Americans by his insisting the COVID pandemic was the “China Flu.”
This is a community filled with people who personally and regularly suffer from the endless racist tropes promoted by Trump and the crowds of fans who cheer him at his rallies.
Trump recently insisted the police should invoke “one rough hour” with theft suspects as a strategy for reducing crime, right when Aurora is being forced by the state to curtail such crimes against residents.
What would ever prompt anyone at the Aurora Police Department to think that thousands of people energized by Trump’s call to violence and racism would make quality, or even acceptable, Aurora police officers?
And even for those Trump fans or police officials who don’t believe that Trump is the antithesis of what Aurora stands for, how could anyone be so oblivious to the optics of such a cruel and insensitive move?
One thing that public officials are made aware as they act in their capacity of community leaders, is that there are consequences not just in committing improprieties, such as trolling for cops at Trump rally, but there are dire consequences for stepping into the appearance of impropriety as well, even if it were an accident.
As foolish and inconsiderate as this stunt was, newly minted Chief Todd Chamberlain’s public response to the mistake was just as harmful.
“Last I checked, political affiliation doesn’t exclude you from being a police officer,” Chamberlain said in a social media post in response to media coverage of the gaffe. “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.”
Chamberlain’s absence of chagrin is regrettable, but the snideness and insensitivity in the statement is alarming.
"Last I checked, political affiliation doesn't exclude you from being a police officer.
"We will actively capitalize on large crowds and gatherings to raise awareness about the department, and attract potential candidates to the best agency in the United States, the Aurora… https://t.co/UrClyAS6rF pic.twitter.com/XhboRwx3Vl
— Aurora Police Dept (@AuroraPD) October 15, 2024
This was not a Republican assembly, nor was it a job fair sponsored by the office of Democratic Congressperson Jason Crow, mentioned by the chief. This was a private campaign gathering to support the most polarizing man on the planet today, who provably participated in an attack on the U.S. Capitol, promising to pardon hundreds of insurrectionists and rioters who maimed and even killed American police officers.
Whether anyone at the police department understands and agrees with those facts, set into the U.S. record by congressional Republicans, Democrats, judges and juries alike, police can rest assured that the vast majority of Aurora residents understand and accept that reality.
We have to ask again, why would anyone think it would be acceptable to the residents of Aurora to troll for cops among those with beliefs and predispositions that the city and state are working currently to rout from the department?
Hopefully, Chamberlain and others in the police department don’t honestly think striving for “diversity” in the police department includes hiring people allegiant to Trump’s values and goals. That’s not diversity. That’s the problem that has cost Aurora taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in settlements and continues to frighten minorities and immigrants.
The Sentinel is not alone in its shock and disappointment by the stunt and the catty retort.
“This public response, as reported, strikes me as insensitive and disappointingly lacking in empathy for Aurora,” Aurora state Sen. Rhonda Fields said in a social media post last week.
Given the virtual chaos created by the self-made controversy in northwest Aurora and numerous other critical issues, the community should give Chamberlain, barely on the job for a month, the benefit of the doubt. Aurora should overlook his hurtful disregard for the gravity of past Aurora police abuses, and the disdain Trump and his followers offer as a remedy, if Chamberlain did this as an oversight.
That would be difficult for the public to buy into, however, if Chamberlain doesn’t first admit how inapt it was to fish for cops at a Trump rally, and then mock those taken aback by it.
Hey Dave Perry, you are barking up the wrong tree. The APD being so short handed, due to a large part of the Sentinel Blog’s constant shouting negativity over the past few years about our police officers, should be recruiting wherever they can to find new rookies.
I’ve been wondering how long it would take for the Sentinel Blog to attempt to make the new Chief uncomfortable in his new job. Now I know. Somehow, I don’t believe the Chief will care in what the Blog says anymore than I care and that excites me about how he will handle his new job.
“Diversity” is far from the most important decision making criteria for anything in Aurora except for left wing radicals.
And, finally, speaking of diversity and left wing radicals, who cares what Rhonda Fields thinks. Seems like you quote her weekly on any given subject. Could it be all about her constantly running for some political office?
What specific calls to violence are you referring to? Surely you are already working with law enforcement on such an egregious felony! We will sit enthusiastically by while you elaborate on your claims made without evidence. Democrats would never make such a bold claim without the proper evidence! /s
Please keep embarrassing yourself 🙂
“But but but, we’re different!! We have morals!!!!!”
Fact check: False
I’ve publically said in this forum that we need to give Chief Chamberlain a chance. His reaction to his department’s recruiting at a Trump event where the promotion of lies about Aurora was on tap was snarky. He should have known this event would not go down well with the consent decree hanging over APD’s head. Strike one, Chief Chamberlain! We expect you to take the consent decree seriously, clean out the rogues, and clean up the department.
To judge the attendees of the rally as far as being good or bad potential candidates for APD jobs is nonsensical. Just as much nonsense as recruiting at a specifically political event regardless of party affiliation. The Chief is wrong to put the department into any level of direct political participation intentionally or accidentally active or by appearance. Thousands of people go to the grocery store everyday not just one day at one place and I have never seen a cop trying to contact potential officers ever. How about Home Depot or Lowe’s or any retail spot with large foot traffic? It is the appearance of it all that is wrong. Chief Chamberlain appears to be a competent and engaged leader and we all should support him in his efforts. He in turn should read the tea leaves a little better.
I dislike Trump intensely but APD recruiting at his event is causing unnecessary hysterics. First, I worked closely with Officer Syidi when I was on the Civil Service Commission and he was gracious enough to let me speak a number of times at his So You Want to be a Cop seminars. He is a stand up guy who only wants to recruit good people for APD. He has gone and will go anywhere to market APD. Second, my liberal friends need to stop with the implicit bias and judge the attendees at the Trump event as a bunch of Proud Boys and Oath Keepers with Nazi leanings. Third, the vetting process for APD is a rigorous one and I know that for a fact. If any far right haters of minorities apply they will be screened out during the background checks, psychological assessments and interviews. If by chance this does not work the Police Academy also dismisses problematic cadets. There is also a probationary period where experienced field training officers will monitor and assess how the new officers interact with people of color. Anybody with decent critical thinking skills need not push the panic button.
Diversity in recruiting not a priority?!
The elephant in the room for the All of us in Aurora is the lack of diversity in almost every area where decision-making and power reside together.
We claim to be the city in Colorado that is the most welcoming of diverse cultures, and yet the faces in our government sadly do not reflect that in a balanced way. Until we the voters of Aurora demonstrate we truly believe in diversity by including ALL in our government entities (including police and fire departments) and welcome the richness of the varied experiences and needs of each person who lives here,
we cannot in good faith claim to be the city who not only welcomes those who may be different from ourselves but INCLUDES them in social, economical, and governmental areas of Aurora.
Crazy how there have been 2 attempts to kill Trump with a 3rd being investigated and you keep stating that his is the party of violence.
That’s so unfair!
Just because a few (thousand) of his dearest friends rampaged through the nation’s capitol building, armed with bludgeons, beating Capitol police officers, and rioting, people so unreasonably associate Trump with violence! Shocking!
If only brave Republicans like brave Josh Hawley (R-Running For His Life) had not torn out of the building in terror of those nasty Patriots who were marauding through representatives’ offices and defecating on people’s furniture… Oh, wait, they were on his side!
But certainly you’re right. It’s unfair to call them the party of violence. Why don’t you go spring them from prison? And while you’re at it, look up the definition of “treason” in the Constitution. Don’t worry, it’s short – no big words, and no one will see you moving your lips while you read it!
As a retired officer and a person very familiar with the political types who usually become chiefs, I was pleased to see a chief not immediately flee in terror from anything that is against the drum beat narrative of the left wing. We must get back to policing that is not political and where race is irrelevant. While in the military and as a police officer, I was imbued with the idea that race and politics should have no part in doing my job. I was never asked what party I favored.
Rhonda Fields was a driving force in the passing of SB217 (Police Reform Bill) that drove thousands of officers out of policing. The only good thing to that bill was the establishment of body cameras. For those who do not know, those cameras clear most police officers of wrong doing. The public only sees the spectacular wrong doing in a few well publicized cases. What the public doesn’t understand is that the bodycams are giving police supervisors a chance to see and correct officer behavior. More than that, the body cams are giving police supervisors a chance to prove that the suspect or citizen was at fault or often lying. The public never sees that. As a former supervisor, I had many more occasions to prove that the suspect was lying than I did that the officer was guilty of misconduct. The most common misconduct by an officer was his use of profanity. That had to be corrected but it certainly wasn’t a reason to fire the officer.
The rest of SB217 is travesty that will not be reexamined by people like Rhonda Fields. They are apparently morally superior but have no need of examining facts or the consequences of their actions. The overall zeal of pursuing prosecution of officers while giving them no support and vague guidelines in a Police Reform Bill cannot encourage anyone to be an officer. The “Reform Bill” gives guidelines that no one can explain and yet officers are held to whatever interpretation an aggressive media or prosecutor may decide. The concept of “minimal force” cannot be defined legally and is dangerous to officers. The definition of the “chokehold’ seems to indicate that an officer could be charged for just impeding someone’s breathing in any way. So, I bearhug someone during a struggle or lie on top of them and I can be charged. And if they are a person who uses drugs and is in poor heath, then I can be charged with murder when they succumb during a struggle. Further, the way SB217 is written and interpreted, it is no longer legal for officers to use force to move a rioting crowd. Everything is a use of force under SB217. I cannot touch someone to move them away from your business when it is being looted. I can arrest those that I can actually see looting, but I cannot move the others away. There are never enough officers to arrest all of the looters. The police cannot protect your business.
There are many more problems with SB217. So, when you are listening to Rhonda Fields, keep that in mind. Ask her to explain SB218 and ask why the legislature has not realized that it is primarily responsible for the loss of officers.
Meanwhile, try to get politics out of policing. It is wrong no matter who it favors. Justice should not be decided based upon race or politics.
Police candidates come from the general public like the military does and I would have taken it a step further and asked President Trump to encourage people to join the police. All politicians should be stumping for police officers wherever they go. It sounds an awful lot like the Sentinel editorial board is following in Hillary’s footsteps and referring to Republican supporters as a basket of deplorables. Never let a crisis go to waste and if no crisis exists, create one.
Donald Trump encouraging people to join the police? Trump is a convicted felon who is awaiting trial on a host of other felonies, a man who has pledged to pardon people who assaulted police officers during an insurrection based on his insistence that he won an election that he clearly lost, and recently referred to the rioters as “us,” and the police officers being beaten as “them.” Do you really want this guy to recruit officers for a police department that is already fighting to change the (undeserved but yet real) image that they’re excessively violent and racist?