AURORA, Colo. — Aurora on Wednesday named its first full-time police chief in more than two years.
City Manager Jason Batchelor selected Todd Chamberlain, a former Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) commander, to lead the Aurora Police Department, the city said in a news release.
Chamberlain's selection needs confirmation from the Aurora City Council, which is set for Aug. 26. He would then be sworn in as the new chief on Sept. 9.
Chamberlain is a former LAPD officer and commander who was with the department from 1984 to 2018. As commander, Chamberlain oversaw roughly 1,800 personnel across six divisions, according to the City of Aurora.
He later served as police chief for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LASPD), and more recently as a public safety consultant and university lecturer at California State University Los Angeles.
>Video below: Aurora city officials introduce Todd Chamberlain during a news conference Thursday morning.
Chamberlain served as chief of police for LASPD for about seven months before resigning in 2020. According to local media reports in California, Chamberlain said he wasn't happy with severe budget cuts to the school police force.
“Todd is a seasoned professional who has a deep understanding of fair, ethical, consistent and constitutional policing,” Batchelor said in a statement. “He has the executive skillset to run a large, complex organization like APD and put leaders in place at all levels of the agency. He also has a track record of partnering with community leaders to reduce crime, enhance community safety, and establish open, honest and transparent dialogue with community members. He is an excellent communicator and is astute at collecting and analyzing critical performance data in line with industry best practices.”
During his time as police chief with LASPD and as a LAPD commander, Chamberlain led and instituted operations like crime reduction, community policing and partnerships, and risk mitigation, according to the city.
Chamberlain also established and oversaw policy and procedures involving the use of force, community engagement, citywide homelessness initiatives and innovation related to the city’s intervention and prevention programs, the release says.
Chamberlain served as LAPD’s first homelessness coordinator, where he developed the Homeless Outreach and Proactive Engagement (HOPE) team, which has been emulated throughout the law enforcement community, the city said.
The City of Aurora also noted that Chamberlain has been committed to serving diverse communities with a focus on understanding and addressing their unique needs.
“I'm deeply honored to be selected to lead the Aurora Police Department and am committed to serving the City of Aurora, its dedicated police personnel, and, most importantly, the community we all strive to protect,” Chamberlain said in a statement. “I look forward to embracing the challenges and successes ahead, with a focus on fostering strong relationships, building trust and ensuring collaboration at every level. Together, we can make a lasting impact on the safety and well-being of our city.”
The Aurora Police Department has made news over the years for various issues.
In 2020, police in Aurora were seen on video holding members of a Black family at gunpoint after officers mistook their vehicle for being stolen. Earlier this year, the city and the mother involved in that incident agreed to a $1.9 million settlement.
Also in 2020, body camera video showed Aurora police pointing guns at the head and body of a Black man who turned out not to be the fugitive they were looking for during a traffic stop. He later sued Aurora Police, Denver Police and the Department of Corrections for racial profiling and excessive force.
The department came under national scrutiny for the death of Elijah McClain, who died after being subdued by Aurora police officers and being injected with Ketamine by paramedics. He was walking home, unarmed, and not breaking any laws.
The Aurora Police Department has been without an official chief since Vanessa Wilson was fired more than two years ago, in April 2022. Since then, the top position has been filled by various interim chiefs. Current interim Chief Heather Morris decided not to pursue the role permanently in July.
The city announced three finalists for the job in fall of 2022, but two of the three took themselves out of the running. At the time, community members expressed concern about a lack of diversity among the finalists.
The city and its police department are currently two years into their consent decree to change how police use force and interact with people of color in the community.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser released a statement Thursday congratulating Chamberlain on his selection as chief and emphasized that he expects Chamberlain to be fully committed to improvements mandated in the consent decree.
Weiser also said Aurora should have a permanent, independent police monitor in place when the consent decree expires.
"I have no doubt that Chamberlain will protect public safety and work to build trust between law enforcement and the community," Weiser said. "From what we have learned and experienced over the last few years; however, it is clear to me that Aurora must have an independent police monitor in place when the consent decree expires. A permanent structure for independent review of the police department would help ensure that reform, accountability, and transparency continue, and that the city is responsive to community concerns."