JOINT RELEASE: AURORA DELEGATION REACTS TO AG REPORT ON AURORA POLICE PRACTICES

The Attorney General’s Office released the findings of a patterns and practices investigation into the Aurora Police Department launched following protests surrounding Elijah McClain’s death in 2019

DENVER, CO – Today, members of the Aurora delegation in the Colorado state legislature, including Senators Rhonda Fields and Janet Buckner as well as Representatives Dominique Jackson, Naquetta Ricks, Iman Jodeh, Mike Weissman and Dafna Michaelson Jenet, released the subsequent joint statement in response to Attorney General Phil Weiser’s patterns and practices investigative report released today, which found that the Aurora Police Department consistently breaks the law through racially-biased policing and excessive force:

“Today’s report is a glaring picture of how the Aurora Police Department operates, and gives us a full understanding of the gaps that must be filled in order to protect vulnerable families from racist, violent and inhumane police practices within the Department. Thanks to our efforts in 2020 to pass a landmark police reform bill here in Colorado, instances of police violence, prejudice and bad behavior can no longer be swept under the rug. We will no longer tolerate bad actors going unchecked and this report, though disturbing, serves as a path toward dismantling systemic racism and bias within an institution that has lost the trust of our communities. We are incredibly grateful for Attorney General Weiser’s commitment to addressing this ongoing issue in our state and commend him for the work he and his team have put in to come to this conclusion. We remain committed to our collective goal of reforming the way we police in Colorado, advancing racial justice within our communities and working toward a system that is fair and just, one that truly values Black and Brown lives – and having the attorney general and Aurora enter a consent decree agreement is another step toward that goal.”