Aurora Colorado Police Department

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Overview

Aurorapd.png
  • Aurora, Colorado is located in north-central portion of the state and is an eastern suburb of Denver.
  • Population: 386,261 [1]. Aurora is the third most populous city in the State of Colorado[2] and the 51st most populous city in the United States.[3]
  • Officers: 744[4]

Body Camera Policy

The published policy[5] states that cameras are:

  • activated manually by the operator
  • capable of a 30-second pre-event video buffer. No audio is recorded during the 30-second buffer period.
  • shall be turned to the on position at the beginning of the shift. To record both audio and video, a second activation of the camera is required.
  • to be activated as soon as practical during a list of interactions.

Officers should, when possible, inform individuals that they are being recorded.

Video is retained for a minimum of 60 days.

Incidents


Officers


Policy Changes

2021 - Use of Critical Incident Response Teams

On April 23, 2021, the Aurora Police Department announced that it would be using two local "Critical Incident Response Teams" (CIRT) to investigate shootings and in-custody deaths involving Aurora officers.[6]

2020 - Mandatory Body Camera Availability and Recording

Effective 7/1/2023, recording entire incidents is required by state law.[7]

June 9, 2020 - Multiple Directive Changes

Several changes were announced on June 9, 2020.

Carotid Control Hold (Prohibited)

Members are not authorized to use the carotid control hold, or any choke hold that restricts the airway. [8]

Issue Warning Before Firing

"An officer must identify himself/herself as an officer and give a clear verbal warning of the intent to shoot."[9] This section isn't highlighted as new in the directives, but CBS4 included it in their list of new reforms.[10]

Officer Relief

Defines the "replacement of officers who have been involved in a physical struggle/fight/violent event with a subject by other arriving officers who should be less emotionally involved and may help keep the situation from escalating to unnecessary physical levels" [11]

Duty to Intervene

SB20-217: "This directive outlines the obligation that sworn members have in intervening in use of force incidents where they witness a level of force, they believe clearly exceeds that allowed by law."[12]

Responding to Suspicious Calls

Police officers will now have the discretion to not contact an individual after dispatch receives a report of a suspicious person if an officer observes that person and doesn't have reason to believe that he or she "was, is, or, seems to be about to engage in criminal activity." [13][14]

References


Recent articles: Joshua Nahulu, Shevoy Brown, Thomas Mascia, Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas (2019), Gerald Goines

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