In a social media post, the new Aurora police chief defended the Aurora Police Department for recruiting potential new police officers at a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump.
"Last I checked, political affiliation doesn't exclude you from being a police officer,” said Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain in a blunt response through APD’s account on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In a recent Aurora Sentinel article, some council members described the APD’s presence as irresponsible and said the event at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center last week was built on fear mongering and xenophobia. Chamberlain said the APD looks for potential new employees at many local events including parades, college job fairs, churches, and nonprofit organizations.
“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 Police Department,” Chamberlain said.” We are an apolitical organization committed to public service and dedicated to ensuring the city of Aurora is a safe and vibrant community to live, raise a family and own a business.”
One commenter asked if APD would recruit at events for Vice President Kamala Harris, who is this year’s Democratic presidential nominee.
“If VP Harris came to Aurora, we would absolutely recruit at that event, as well! We've previously recruited at Democratic sponsored events,” APD responded.
In APD's Strategic Recruitment Plan released in 2023, diversity is the top goal. Chamberlain reiterated that in his response.
"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 said.
From top to bottom, the Aurora Police Department hasn’t been imune the national shortage of officers in recent years. Reputation, safety concerns, and mental health are just a few reasons cited for the shortage. The city took 28 months and went through three interim chiefs before hiring Chamberlain.
Most of the concerns about APD recruiting at the event stemmed from former President Donald Trump’s comments about the Tren den Aragua presence in Aurora apartment complexes. Council members and activists said those comments demonized immigrants. The Republican presidential nominee even drew criticism from Republican Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman.
The use of excessive force that has led to the deaths of Elijah McClain and more recently, Kilyn Lewis, hasn’t helped APD’s recruitment efforts either. Those actions by officers have led to Aurora being the first city in Colorado to be under consent decree by the State Attorney General's Office.
The Aurora City Council approved the reinstatement of reserve police officers in August 2023 due to lack of interest and dwindling numbers. The program was shut down in 2005 in a City code clean-up initiative.
