Todd Chamberlain, Aurora’s new police chief, promises to restore trust

Aurora’s next police chief stood at a podium in a darkened room in front of a row of TV news cameras Thursday and vowed to rebuild trust between community members and police.

“Give me a chance,” Todd Chamberlain said. “Let’s work together, let’s work together. Let’s work together. I am here for the long term.”

The 61-year-old veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department made the call after being selected as the city’s sixth police chief in five years through a hiring process that took place entirely behind closed doors and without public input — a departure from previous selections from heads. and an approach that both he and City Manager Jason Batchelor defended during a news conference Thursday at the Aurora Municipal Center.

“I think the question should be: Has the selection process worked in the past?” said Chamberlain. “And I’ll be very frank with you, I don’t think so. You’ve had five chefs in five years… but I know I’m here to commit. I’m here to say I’m part of the city of Aurora.”

The closed-door approach was criticized by members of the Aurora community, including Secretary of State Rhonda Fields and Janet Buckner, both Aurora Democrats, who said in a joint statement Thursday that the city’s private hiring process “is a sign of the reluctance to learn from past mistakes.”

“The exclusion of community members and leaders from this important decision has once again missed a critical opportunity to heal past traumas and build stronger partnerships between the community and law enforcement,” the statement said.

Batchelor called the city’s latest attempt to hire a permanent police chief “a failed public process” and said he opted to select the city’s next chief privately to provide “the greatest opportunity to hire the best qualified candidates,” noting that a non-public process allowed candidates to apply without jeopardizing their positions with their current police departments.

Chamberlain said repeatedly Thursday that he wanted to communicate with the community, but did not provide details on how he would do that or whether he would hold public meetings before the Aurora City Council votes to confirm his hiring Monday. If confirmed by the council, Chamberlain will be sworn in on September 9, ending more than two years of interim leadership at the police department.

In wide-ranging comments during Thursday’s press conference, Chamberlain focused on the extent of his previous law enforcement experience, his commitment to staying in Aurora for the long term and the need to rebuild trust both among officers and leaders within the police station and between officials and community members.

“Aurora is my home now,” he said.

Chamberlain spent 34 years with the Los Angeles Police Department before retiring as commander in 2018. He briefly worked as police chief for the Los Angeles Unified School District, but resigned from the force after less than a year. job due to budget cuts, and was previously a finalist for principal positions in Cincinnati; Little RockArkansas; And ChattanoogaTennessee.

While working for the Los Angeles Police Department, he was named in a 2011 lawsuit — but not as a defendant — filed by a black police officer who said he faced racist antics and harassment in his unit, including the presentation of a cake topped with fried chicken. and watermelons on the occasion of his twentieth year of service in the police.

The officer claimed Chamberlain was aware of the harassment but took no action. A The jury awarded the officer $1.2 million in 2013, court records show.

Chamberlain on Thursday denied the officer’s characterization of events, saying he had taken control of a unit that showed a years-long pattern of inappropriate racial misconduct and within “two weeks” had identified the problem and notified a review team, and then the internal affairs department investigators. . Chamberlain also appointed a sergeant responsible for much of the problem, he said.

“It was Black on Black officers, it was Hispanic on Black, it was Asian on Black, and then there were some white officers involved in this,” he said. “In fact, it was a practice that was allowed to cultivate this unity. I was there for two weeks. I saw this, I identified it.”

He said the experience identifying and addressing that misconduct has helped him take similar action in Aurora, if necessary.

“You have to have someone in charge who is willing to step up and take on those duties,” he said. “And I’ll tell you, it’s not a pleasant experience. You’ve probably all been involved in or seen workplace issues and know how it can actually eat away at the core of not just that unit, but the entire organization. And I’m not going to accept that. If I find that here, I’m going to do the same.”