Choosing a new police chief is an important hire for any city, but particularly so in a place like Aurora, which has a diverse mix of income levels and ethnicities.
With this in mind, it’s difficult to understand why the city manager in charge of the process from elected council members and the mayor.
According to a story by The Denver Post’s Carlos Illescas, one finalist for the chief job had been suspended for 30 days after being pulled over for suspected drunken driving. Another got a bad review from cops in a department suffering from low morale. And a third, working in a department trying to recover from excessive force accusations, was told to take a demotion or leave.
This is serious information that elected officials ought to know about, even if it’s the city manager who ultimately makes the hiring decision. Such facts ought to be thoroughly investigated and discussed so that all involved have a comfort level with the candidate ultimately hired.
Not only is that important for the community, it’s also crucial for the new chief in establishing trust and authority.
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