Aurora – Three finalists for Aurora’s top cop position were announced Tuesday, pitting the city’s interim chief against veteran law- enforcement officials from California and Michigan.
On the short list are Aurora’s interim chief, Terry Jones; Chief Deputy C. Scott Harris Jr. of the Sacramento, Calif., sheriff’s office; and Chief Daniel J. Oates of the Ann Arbor, Mich., Police Department.
“It’s a strong group of finalists, and we’re very enthused about having one of those becoming the future chief of the Aurora Police Department,” City Manager Ron Miller said. “Each of the individuals has extraordinary credentials.”
Each finalist has more than two decades of police experience and will be brought in for formal interviews Monday. They will meet with a group of community members, selected staff members and the City Council.
The field was whittled from an original 36 candidates. The council is expected to select a chief by the end of the month. The job pays between $95,398 and $131,414 a year. The police chief would head the city’s largest department, with more than 700 employees, including nearly 600 sworn police officers.
The position opened in March when Chief Ricky Bennett stepped down amid controversy over the department’s delay in arresting convicted child rapist Brent J. Brents over a new sexual-assault allegation.
Jones, 51, has been with the Aurora Police Department for 26 years. He was appointed division chief in 1995, deputy chief in 2002 and interim chief in March.
He has worked in a variety of positions, including gang investigation, narcotics and traffic. He was a patrolman from 1979 to 1984. He is married with three children, ages 3 to 20.
“A lot of dedication and loyalty is what I would bring to the position and a commitment to the agency and the community,” Jones said. “Why do I want it? It’s been a situation within the last six months that has been a challenging time. I’m really encouraged about the way the agency is going. It appears to be very positive.”
Harris, 50, has been with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department for 29 years, six years as chief deputy supervising training, the budget and the department’s information services.
The Sheriff’s Department has more than 1,600 officers and 200 civilian employees. He’s married with five children, ages 5 to 24.
Harris said he would be proud to run Aurora’s Police Department, which is “very healthy and well recognized as a leader in law enforcement.”
Oates, 50, has been police chief in Ann Arbor for four years and spent 21 years with the New York City Police Department. He’s in charge of 325 employees at a department that covers 26 square miles and includes the University of Michigan. Oates is married with two daughters, ages 10 and 11.
“It sounds like a great opportunity,” he said. “I have a wide breadth of policing experience, including in the country’s largest agency. I’m excited and look forward to the interview.”
Staff writer Jeremy Meyer can be reached at 303-820-1175 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com.
