AURORA | City officials are close to instituting a new review board that will look at select police discipline cases and give city leaders advice on how to handle them.
Out of a list of more than 50 people who applied for spots, the city council public safety committee has whittled those names down to 21 individuals. Once the names are approved by the full city council, the board could be active as early as the first week of January, said Aurora City Manager Skip Noe.
What city officials are calling Aurora’s Independent Review Board, or IRB, comes on the heels of protests in Aurora and nationwide in response to New York and Missouri grand juries returning no indictments against police officers. On Friday, around 400 students from Gateway, Overland, Rangeview, Hinkley and Aurora Central high schools walked out in protest of those decisions.
Noe said the board will be able to review any case in Aurora where deadly force is used like it was in New York and Missouri. While the board won’t have the authority to alter discipline, it will make a recommendation to the police chief about what discipline, if any, the officer should face.
The board will also be used to deliberate on in-custody deaths, traffic collisions that result from emergency vehicle operations and pursuits, and alleged bias policing, according to city documents.
For each case, 4 of the 20 participants will be chosen at random to serve on a panel with four officers (two peer officers, one lieutenant, and one member of the command staff). A facilitator will also be present but will not be a voting member. Participants selected by council will only be allowed to participate in one case per year.
“I don’t think the protests in Aurora or nationwide are driving our process,” said City Councilman Brad Pierce, a member of the public safety committee. “We’ve been talking about doing this for months now.”
Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan asked the city council to tackle the issue back in 2013. At that time, the idea for an independent monitor met a chilly reaction from former Chief Dan Oates, as well as several council members. With input from police administration, the city manager and the police unions, the idea morphed into the current plan for an IRB.
City Councilman Bob LeGare, a member of the public safety committee, said the IRB is a compromise between Aurora City Council and police.
“This isn’t as broad of a scope as the mayor was seeking, but it’s an alternative that worked for the majority of our council,” he said. “This is a hybrid that fits Aurora. I think it will be a good process, and I hope we never have to use it.”
Citizens chosen for the IRB are required to either live in or work in Aurora and be willing to serve a term of three years.
Aurora Sentinel Staff Writer Brandon Johansson contributed to this story.
So the Independent Review Board will be in no way independent, and will have no authority. Not sure I see the value of this.
Right. Aurora will do as it has always done. Which is to keep the power in it’s own hands. This IRB is a waste of one’s precious time. If the facilitator is a fixed position, they’ll likely appoint that sad cow of a female running the citizens police academy. She’ll make sure everyone sees it from the boss’ perspective. Those sitting on the board who are of a higher rank have always made that geeks heart race.
Council, once again, was just stroking the ego of that poor powerless puppet, Mayor Steve Hogan in an attempt to shut him up and make him feel useful.
There is none.
It could have been much worse, I guess. Dan Oates wanted full discipline of all officers and the appealing aspects which met once he fired someone he did not (like) there would never be an appeal to re-view to rehire back. I knew the Mayor Hogan got tired of Oates being there, this is good and bad but at least that monster Dan Oates is gone. I know that MB is already not happy and he is turning up side down that fine police agency.
Dan Oates is napping during the meeting, now you tell me if this was any of the officers working on duty or any of the staff members but especially the officers caught napping anywhere OATES would be foaming at the mouth with a pen ready to give them a reprimand or fire them? This photo is from a MB meeting the Chief sleeping on the job??
You have to love that someone in the room of the command staff meeting snapped a picture of him sleeping. HA That tells me, he is already disliked by the people he is tasked to lead already. Sure didn’t take long.
Here is something funny. Months before Oates arrival, someone at Miami Beach snapped one picture after another of 911 dispatchers sleeping on the job.
Looks like Oates caught the same sleeping bug.
I think, that OATES needs to run for Senate somewhere with his high profile political talent. Oates is dangerous to any policing department and most of you know this by working for him as an officer, brass monkeys, and his upper City staff. MB just shook hands with the devil and soon they will catch on to him. Oates carries no good policing intentions for he loves crushing officers and their families. He would have rather seen a few of his officer’s dead then supporting their lives and career.
This is good or bad but what choices does the officers have not even the PPA works for them.
They send their secretary to officer’s hearing appeal board meetings for support…..really.
The last hearing no one from PPA was there but they really care for their officers I say, jump of that 3 wheel wagon it just doesn’t work anymore.
If the Mayor Hogan and Skip Noe ….knows best they should hire for Chief that Female or Hispanic man. You don’t want MINTER running that police agency.
Think about it people. ………
Ashley…… what is your opinion?
Really, Really screen these citizens, APD does not need cop haters, or prejudice black people with all the cops in the eyes of the black race.
I speak the truth and always have and I am not hiding my thinking ways anymore.
Our officer’s are the law and need to be respected and their authority must never be taking away from them or this country and city of Aurora and Denver. This could be a major disaster for all of us.
Freedom of speech and my right to speak out just like this delusional Protestor’s. Stay out of trouble to start is a good thing. ….right.
No. Officers are not the law. They have been empowered to enforce the law. They should be subject to obeying the same laws as the rest of us. When they break the law they must be held accountable if they are to maintain legitimacy.