AURORA, Colo. — In an 8-2 vote, the Aurora City Council on Monday confirmed Todd Chamberlain as the city's next police chief.
Those who voted to confirm Chamberlain include Mayor Mike Coffman and Councilmembers Steve Sundberg, Danielle Jurinsky, Françoise Bergan, Dustin Zvonek, Angela Lawson, Curtis Gardner and Stephanie Hancock. Councilmembers Ruben Medina and Crystal Murrillo voted against Chamberlain's confirmation. Councilmember Alison Coombs was absent from Monday's meeting.
Aurora
'I'm here for a reason': Police chief pick lays out his plan to lead Aurora PD
Chamberlain is a former commander of the Los Angeles Police Department and spent the past four years as the principal public safety consultant with the Justice Public Safety (JPS) division within SAS Institute, a data analytics company.
"That skill set that I've honed in over 35 years of law enforcement, I can't wait and really have that desire to bring into the city of Aurora," Chamberlain said during his introductory press conference.
Aurora PD has been a revolving door for police chiefs. Chamberlain will become the fourth person to occupy the post since the tumultuous ouster of former chief of police Vanessa Wilson in early 2022. He will be sworn in on Sept. 9.
Controversy has surrounded this selection process. For the first time in the years-long search for a permanent chief, city officials did not seek out public input before bringing Chamberlain here. City Manager Jason Batchelor said it was in an effort to get the right candidate quickly.
"The charter lays out that I appoint and that council confirms. So this is the process we're using," said Batchelor.
Before Monday's vote, several community members expressed their outrage at the lack of community input.
"Not 'no' but 'hell no,' that's the way that I need you to vote tonight," said community activist Auon'tai Anderson. "Do you truly believe that your communities that you are elected to represent are going to be confident with your pick without even soliciting their feedback?"
"I would be frustrated by the implication that a chief of police, a position that affects every member of this community, could be selected without community input," said another community member.
Other community members voiced their support for filling the vacancy.
"I don't care if the new police chief is pink with purple dots. I don't care if he's from Egypt. All I care about is that he is here to straighten up this city," said a community member.
As the motion to confirm Chamberlain passed, several people in attendance shouted "Shame on you" at the city council.
Denver7 Investigates
Former Aurora chief on Todd Chamberlain hire: 'It’s exactly what Aurora needs'
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.