Police Reform: Aurora Residents Invited To Policy Review Sessions

AURORA, IL — Aurora residents can sign up to participate in sessions next month to review the police department’s policies in the wake of sustained calls for reform.

Officials opened registration on Thursday for 10 sessions in July, during which residents and city leaders will review the department’s use-of-force and training policies and craft recommendations for changing the policies. Five sessions will be dedicated to each set of policies, with four sessions for each set to be scheduled during weekdays and the fifth to be held on the weekend, officials have said.

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The review and recommendation sessions are a major plank of Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin’s CHANGE Reform Initiative, which he presented to the City Council on June 9 following weeks of nationwide protests after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody. Irvin’s initiative also calls for Aurora police officers to be equipped with body cameras and a civilian review board to investigate police misconduct and complaints against officers.

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Guidelines under phase 4 of Illinois’ reopening plan, which the state is set to enter Friday, limit gatherings at 50 people, leaving room for about 30 residents to participate in each session, with officials and moderators also in the room. All 10 two-hour sessions will be held at Aurora City Hall, located at 44 E. Downer Place.

Aurora residents can sign up online to participate in the sessions. The first 300 residents who register will be selected, according to Clayton Muhammad, a spokesperson for Mayor Richard Irvin.

Muhammad encouraged residents who are not selected to submit their policy recommendations through an online portal, which will open on July 8 when the first in-person session scheduled to be held.

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When announcing his CHANGE Reform Initiative, Irvin set a 60-day deadline for bringing policy recommendations to the Aurora City Council. He is expected to deliver recommendations at the council’s Aug. 11 meeting.

Schedule:
Use-of-Force Policy Sessions
9 a.m. July 8
6 p.m. July 15
1 p.m. July 22
10 a.m. July 25
5 p.m. July 29

Training Policies Sessions
6 p.m. July 9
9 a.m. July 16
5 p.m. July 23
1 p.m. July 25
1 p.m. July 30