AURORA, Colo. — The City of Aurora and the Aurora Police Department are two years into their consent decree to change how police use force and interact with people of color in the community.
Now, monitors for the consent decree said the police department is ready to move away from reforming policies and creating training into a new phase of that plan that would put the new policies to the test.
"The last three years of the consent decree are meant to really measure operational integrity – that is whether or not the policies and training which has been reformed is taking hold on the streets of Aurora and being felt by the community there," said Jeff Schlanger, president of IntegrAssure and independent monitor for Aurora's consent decree.
A new report released Monday by the monitors found the police department is complying with the majority of the required policy and training changes. Others haven't yet hit the mark or are running behind schedule, including plans to implement mandatory bias training.
“The bias policing training had not been completed. That was overdue I think as of last July. And they have started that. We’ve attended it. It is well done and we are happy with it but it didn’t conclude in this reporting period so we couldn’t give them the credit. It’s still going on," Schlanger said. "But we are happy with the progress in that respect.”
"We knew going back to Report 5 we were going to miss the deadline for mitigating bias training. That training is currently underway and will be completed by May 15," Aurora Police said in a statement to 9NEWS. "The rest of the operational requirements under the consent decree have been met."
Schlanger said while they'll continue to keep APD on track with those remaining policy requirements, they're now shifting their focus to watching to what the department does with the changes.
"And really the question is, are they and when I say they, the police officers of Aurora acting on the streets in concert with that training and the change in policy," Schlanger said.
By looking at body camera footage, analyzing police complaints, even going on ride-alongs, Schlanger said they'll be putting those policies to the test over the next three years.
"They're the most critical to show the community and to have community input into how their department is doing," Schlanger said.
And while these changes are required, Schlanger said APD has been open to these changes.
"Very much so," he said.
As Aurora Police work to meet the demands of the consent decree, the department is also navigating its fifth police chief in five years. Now, Heather Morris is serving as interim police chief.
"Chief Morris has continued the focus on APD’s continued improvement under the consent decree and the transition has been seamless from her predecessor," Aurora Police said in a statement to 9NEWS.
"She is really taking the reins where Chief Acevedo left off," Schlanger said. "And we really, I would say, haven't missed a beat because of that transition."
Now, headed into the next phase of the consent decree, Schlanger said the next three years will be hands-on and intense but critical to APD's future.
"All of those things are looked at again to make Aurora officers all that they can and should be," Schlanger said.
"We are extremely proud of the hard work and dedication by city and APD leadership, officers and staff over the last two years, and the progress we as a department have made since the last reporting period to meet this milestone. We look forward to the continued collaboration with the independent monitor during this next phase of the consent decree," Aurora Police said in a statement to 9NEWS.
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