Aurora city leaders plunged into a very public fight over police messaging on Monday after Councilmember Alison Coombs dropped an emergency resolution on the council docket that would sharply narrow what the Aurora Police Department can say in public. The proposal targets social media posts, press releases, and official comments on pending legislation, and would run department communications through the city's communications office, supporters say. The chief of police fired back that the change would tie public safety leaders' hands and weaken the department's ability to reach residents.
What Coombs' resolution would do
The draft resolution would require the Aurora Police Department's public statements and social media posts to be cleared by the city communications department, prohibit posting most mugshots until a suspect is convicted, and bar department members from commenting in their official roles on pending city, state or federal legislation without prior approval. Councilmember Alison Coombs told Sentinel Colorado she was motivated by recent posts and past comments, including remarks the chief made about a 17-year-old who was killed by police, that she says have chipped away at community trust.
Chief: proposal would 'silence' his office
In a statement to Sentinel Colorado, Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said, "We should be able to agree to disagree," and warned the measure "would unfairly silence" his office and make it harder to provide candid public safety information. Chamberlain also pointed to recent drops in crime and improved community-trust survey results as evidence that the department's efforts to be transparent have been working.
State bill at the center of the dispute
Tensions escalated after the Aurora Police Department posted messages opposing SB26-190, a Colorado bill that would require law enforcement agencies to provide families of people killed by officers with unedited body-worn camera and audio recordings within a set timeline and to limit extrajudicial statements by officers. The bill text is available on the Colorado General Assembly website, and reporting from Denver7 notes the measure has cleared the legislature and is awaiting Gov. Jared Polis' signature, a development that has sharpened disagreements over how departments communicate during investigations.
What's next
The emergency resolution was placed on Monday's council agenda and could be debated or amended at the Paul Tauer Aurora City Council Chamber at the Aurora Municipal Center, where public comment typically follows staff and council discussion. City meeting and chamber information is listed on the city's website, and councilmembers and residents are expected to weigh in as Aurora decides whether to tighten rules around police communications; the municipal center sits at 15151 E. Alameda Parkway, per Aurora.gov.
