{"id":548,"date":"2026-05-19T12:03:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T12:03:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=548"},"modified":"2026-05-19T12:03:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T12:03:32","slug":"aurora-city-council-clamps-down-on-police-departments-communications-channels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=548","title":{"rendered":"Aurora City Council clamps down on police department\u2019s communications channels"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Aurora City Council on Monday corralled the city\u2019s police force, instituting new rules that prohibit the department from publicizing booking photographs of suspects unless convicted and require city approval for all departmental social media posts and media releases.<\/p>\n

Read more Today in History: May 19, Rubik\u2019s Cube debuts as teaching tool<\/a><\/p>\n

Proponents of the resolution, which passed 6-4, called it a move that will put an end to what they described as editorializing on social media by the Aurora Police Department, including Chief Todd Chamberlain, that puts potentially innocent people in a bad light.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he posted the facts, I would absolutely vote no on this,\u201d Councilwoman Amy Wiles said of the chief.<\/p>\n

But other council members pushed back, saying the new rules would stifle the department from posting information about the arrest of potentially dangerous suspects living in Aurora neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting information out to residents right away is transparency,\u201d Councilwoman Francoise Bergan said.<\/p>\n

Chamberlain expressed frustration with the council\u2019s resolution in a statement he issued hours ahead of the evening meeting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe community deserves timely facts and direct communication from the professionals closest to these incidents and operational realities,\u201d he wrote. \u201cRestricting that communication risks creating confusion, speculation, and managed narratives rather than greater public understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

The chief took a shot at protesters who have frequented Aurora City Council meetings over the past couple of years to demand police reform and seek justice for a Black man who was fatally shot by Aurora police nearly two years ago.<\/p>\n

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When information and perspectives \u201cdo not align with the views of certain groups, the answer is to silence those voices rather than allow open and honest public discussion,\u201d Chamberlain wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if I, as a public safety leader, cannot discuss or share concerns without reprisal from the local level, my department and I are unable to effectively be what Aurora needs \u2014 candid, forthright and open about how our work impacts the daily lives of those we serve,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

The Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police also weighed in on the resolution Monday, saying it would \u201ccentralize and restrict law enforcement communications in ways that risk delay, confusion and reduced transparency \u2014 the very opposite of what communities deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Auon\u2019tai Anderson, a frequent attendee at Aurora City Council meetings and a critic of the city\u2019s police department, said the department publicizing photos and names of suspects who haven\u2019t been found guilty of a crime can gravely impact individuals\u2019 futures.<\/p>\n

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\u201cJobs disappear, opportunities disappear, reputations disappear \u2014 but APD gets its press cycle,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Read more Gas prices in Denver expected to increase heading into Memorial Day weekend<\/a><\/p>\n

Even City Attorney Pete Schulte told the council that the police should be able to post important information for the public safety \u2014 \u201cwe just don\u2019t need the editorializing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another resident at the meeting said the resolution is the \u201cbare minimum\u201d the city should do to place greater control over a police department that has been on a turbulent ride for the better part of a decade, with several fatal police shootings of unarmed Black men grabbing headlines.<\/p>\n

Following the death of 23-year-old Elijah McClain, who in 2019 was stopped by police while walking home and injected by paramedics with a lethal dose of the sedative ketamine, the department entered into a consent decree with the Colorado Attorney General\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

The multiyear agreement calls for the police department to change its use-of-force, hiring and training policies. An outside monitor was assigned to send progress reports to the judge overseeing the decree to ensure the city is complying with it.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, often boisterous crowds have regularly gathered at council meetings since Kilynn Lewis, an unarmed Black man, was shot and killed by an Aurora SWAT officer on May 23, 2024. The disruption in council chambers spawned a federal lawsuit from a protester alleging the city was limiting her ability to express herself.<\/p>\n

The issue was resolved through a settlement between the parties. In March, the city agreed to provide up to one hour for the public to speak at the start of regularly scheduled meetings.<\/p>\n

Monday\u2019s resolution specifically states that the city\u2019s communications department \u201cmust approve all social media posts and all media releases\u201d before the police department releases them.<\/p>\n

The department \u201cshall not post booking photographs (\u2018mug shots\u2019) and\/or suspect names publicly until the subject of the arrest has pled guilty or been convicted of a crime,\u201d unless the city manager OKs publication on a case-by-case basis.<\/p>\n

\u201cCity Council understands that the police department wants to highlight their good work, which can be done without using names or booking photographs prior to case adjudication,\u201d the resolution reads.<\/p>\n

The new rules also forbid members of the police force from posting on official city social media sites about any \u201cpending or enacted city, state or federal legislation\u201d without city approval. They can post about such issues on their personal social media accounts, the new measure says.<\/p>\n

Aurora\u2019s city council flipped from a conservative majority to a progressive majority in the November election. Several of the winning candidates campaigned on continuing the city\u2019s efforts at criminal justice reform.<\/p>\n

Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Police break out tear gas to control crowds clamoring for new Swatch drop<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Aurora City Council corralled the city’s police force, instituting new rules that prohibit the department from publicizing booking photographs of suspects, social media posts and media releases.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":306,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime-and-public-safety","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nAurora City Council clamps down on police department\u2019s communications channels - Colorado Springs Moverss<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=548\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Aurora City Council clamps down on police department\u2019s communications channels - 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