The partner of a former embattled suburban Denver police chief is accused of falsely reporting that a vocal opponent of the chief was sexually abusing her son, authorities alleged in court documents filed Monday. Robin Niceta, a county social worker at the time, allegedly made an anonymous call to a child abuse hotline on Jan. […]
Vanessa Wilson
Posted inOpinion
Littwin: In firing police Chief Vanessa Wilson, Aurora officials seem to have forgotten why she was hired
The rally at the Capitol steps Monday was different from all the other rallies held in support of Elijah McClain, the young man who died at the hands of Aurora police and paramedics in August 2019 for the crime of Walking Strangely While Black. This rally was for Vanessa Wilson, the recently fired Aurora police […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Activists stand by fired Aurora police Chief Vanessa Wilson
By Colleen Slevin, The Associated Press AURORA — Community leaders and activists on Monday rallied around a suburban Denver police chief who was fired last week despite her community work, including efforts to rebuild trust with residents following the 2019 death of Elijah McClain. Pastor Topazz McBride said the firing of Vanessa Wilson by the […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Aurora to improve use-of-force policies, hire more diverse first responders, per agreement with attorney general
Aurora’s police and fire departments have agreed to improve their use-of-force policies and training, develop a new system to collect data about police interactions with members of the community, and work to hire officers and firefighters that better reflect the city’s diversity as part of a consent decree with state prosecutors unveiled Tuesday. “The city […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Aurora police officers disapprove of chief committed to reform, poll shows
A majority of officers from a suburban Denver police department that had faced investigations and community outrage over its run-ins with people of color reported disapproving of the police chief who has committed publicly to reforming the force and its reputation. Members of the Aurora Police Department’s two labor unions, the Aurora Police Association and […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Aurora police officer quits days after release of video showing him beating a man with a pistol during an arrest
An Aurora police officer who is facing assault charges after body-worn camera footage captured him striking a man with a pistol 13 times has quit. John Haubert submitted his letter of resignation Wednesday, according to a news release from the Aurora Police Department. Haubert was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of attempted first-degree assault, second-degree assault […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Aurora Police Department to get independent monitor following Elijah McClain’s death
Aurora city leaders will create an independent police monitor in the wake of a scathing independent report released Monday on the Aurora Police Department’s actions before and after Elijah McClain’s death. City Manager Jim Twombly announced the effort in a news conference Tuesday. He called the department’s handling of McClain’s death “the failure of a […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
“Just unprecedented”: Aurora Police saw 60% rise in officers leaving department last year
By Quincy Snowdon, Sentinel Colorado The number of officers who left the Aurora Police Department last year rose by more than 60% from 2019, according to Human Resources data slated to be presented to a city council panel Thursday. A total of 87 police personnel left or were jettisoned from the department in 2020 — […]