AURORA, Colo. — The City of Aurora is again searching for a new police chief after interim Chief Heather Morris decided not to pursue the role permanently.
A spokesman for the city said that the job was posted on Monday and that a recruitment process is already underway. The posting closes at 5 p.m. Friday.
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Under the city's charter, the city manager is responsible for selecting a police chief and seeking approval from a majority of the city council. City Manager Jason Batchelor will share more details at a later time, the spokesman said.
The spokesman also shared a message from Morris that she shared with the department Friday morning.
"After thoughtful consideration, I have made the personal decision not to apply for the position. It has been a privilege to serve the men and women of the Aurora Police Department first as the Interim Deputy Chief and for the last 6 months as the Interim Chief of Police," Morris wrote.
"I will remain as the Interim Chief until such time as the next Chief of Police of the Aurora Police Department is sworn in."
She also noted that she was proud of the work done by the department over the last 15 months that she was a part of the organization.
Morris was named interim chief in January when interim Chief Art Acevedo left the department to return to Texas.
The department has been without an official chief since Vanessa Wilson was fired more than two years ago in April of 2022. Since then the top position has been filled by various interim chiefs.
In the fall of 2022, the city announced three finalists for the job but two of the three took themselves out of the running. At the time community expressed concern about a lack of diversity among the finalists.
