Aurora – A ballot measure to overhaul the Civil Service Commission failed, but that isn’t stopping Police Chief Dan Oates from trying to make changes anyway.
Wanting to diversify the ranks to better reflect the community, Oates is proposing ways to get more minorities into the police force, and other rule changes as well.
He wants to waive the 60 college-credit requirement for officers, keep applications open longer and offer bonus points to applicants who can speak a second language such as Spanish, Russian or Korean.
About 86 percent of Aurora police officers are white, 4 percent are black, and 7 percent are Latino. The most recent official census numbers show Aurora is 68.9 percent white, 13.4 percent black and 19.8 percent Latino (residents can list more than one race).
“On a Friday night, we might have only one Spanish-speaking officer on patrol,” Oates said. “It’s sound public policy to get more bilingual officers on the street.”
But his most controversial proposal, Oates acknowledged, would allow him or his designee to have a say in who is promoted to lieutenant and captain. The chief says he needs more input in promotions, a duty that is currently primarily the responsibility of the Civil Service Commission.
Commission chairman Richard Brown says the group “hasn’t gotten to that one yet.” But the fact that both sides are even talking after a rough six months is a good sign, Oates and Brown say.
“I can’t say the rift between the chief and the commission is completely healed, but at the same time, I think there’s a scab over it in the sense that it is healing,” Brown said. “We’re getting things back to where we can work together and talk things out.”
Oates was supportive of several charter changes on the fall ballot that would have stripped many of the duties from the commission. Several of those failed, and the effort caused dissension between management and the commission and the rank-and-file officers.
Things also heated up between the sides in January when an outside investigator criticized Oates and several other city officials for their roles in a letter sent to the commission during an appeal of a police sergeant’s discipline.
City Councilman Ryan Frazier, chairman of the Public Safety and Courts Committee, said the board has already made it an objective to make the Police and Fire departments more reflective of the community. He plans to push for the creation of a diversity task force made up of police and fire officials, city management and others to address those issues.
Frazier also said the fact that the commission and chief seem to have put their contentiousness behind them after the election fallout and the letter issue is a positive sign things are heading in a better direction.
“I’m encouraged by any collaboration between the Civil Service Commission and the executive staff within the Police Department,” Frazier said. “The fact that they are talking is a good indication we will see some progress.”
Oates agrees.
He said: “We think this year it is time to have a good conversation with the commission to achieve rule changes that reflect our mutual interests.”
Staff writer Carlos Illescas can be reached at 303-954-1175 or cillescas@denverpost.com.
