Aurora Mayor Calls For Body Cameras, Police Use-Of-Force Review

AURORA, IL — Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin on Tuesday announced he will be implementing reviews of the Aurora Police Department’s use-of-force and training policies in response to weeks of protests throughout the nation calling for police reform. Irvin also called for the city’s police officers to wear body cameras starting next year as part of his four-part CHANGE Reform Initiative.

Irvin told the Aurora City Council on Tuesday that he has “accepted the challenge” from the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, which calls on mayors and city councils to review and reform their police department’s use-of-force policies. The city will seek a “diverse range of community input” and feedback about the department’s use of force, Irvin said.

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The mayor said he will also establish reviews of the Aurora Police Department’s training policies, Irvin said.

Over the next seven months, city officials will research body cameras for police officers and work to find money in the budget to fund the measure, Irvin said. The city will soon send out a request to companies to gain more information about the cost and logistics of police body cameras, Irvin said.

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Irvin also said the city will begin researching the establishment of a civilian review board, a body composed of citizen representatives that is charged with investigating complaints about misconduct by police officers.

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The mayor said the CHANGE initiative is “a direct result of listening to our community” over the past two weeks as thousands of people in Aurora protested for police reform and to support the Black Lives Matter movement.

“Let me be clear — this is only the first phase of the CHANGE initiative,” Irvin told the City Council.