The city of Aurora will appeal the decision of its Civil Service Commission to reinstate a police officer, overturning a decision by Chief Dan Oates.
Oates fired Officer Chris Falco in the wake of four separate disciplinary cases involving the police officer, but on Aug. 15 the board reduced the punishment to .
“My office believes we presented, on behalf of the Police Department, overwhelming evidence in support of the decision to terminate Officer Falco,” City Attorney Charlie Richardson said in a statement Monday. “Our appeal asserts that the Commission clearly abused its discretion by not affirming the termination.”
Among the four incidents that led to his firing, Falco allegedly made “repeated inappropriate statements” about a person he shot in March 2011 when two 18-year-olds and a 20-year-old were caught stealing auto parts from a storage yard, though he was later cleared by the district attorney in the shooting.
Falco also is accused of making inappropriate comments to a person in a traffic accident and an assistant city attorney before a jury trial, as well as neglect of duty on a security assignment.
