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According to a statement from Attorney General Phil Weiser, the 112-page report revealed that the police department used to practice racist policing, excessive force and failed to record information required by law during their interactions. with the community. The report also found that ODA used force against people of color almost 2.5 times more than against whites.
“Our team conducted a comprehensive review – with the help of the full cooperation of the City of Aurora – and developed important findings on how Aurora can comply with the law and improve efficiency and reliability. law enforcement, ”Weiser said. .
Earlier in September, a Colorado grand jury indicted three police officers and two firefighters involved in McClain’s death. Each was charged with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide among other crimes as part of a 32-count indictment.
CNN contacted the APD and AFD for a statement, but did not immediately receive a response.
“We will not deviate from our deep commitment to a ‘new way’ of policing, ensuring public safety and serving our diverse and culturally rich community in Aurora,” said City Manager Jim Twombly in a press release. “I’m still digesting the details of the attorney general’s report, and it’s painful to hear.”
Data shows a race-based pattern of policing, AG says
Investigators reviewed more than 3 million internal police records and completed 220 hours of in-person driving with duty officers and firefighters during the investigation, according to the report.
Investigators attended nine months of weekly Force Review Board meetings where they examined body camera images of officers using force and examined how the department assesses such conduct, according to the report.
Dozens of interviews were conducted with police and firefighters and the team listened to community feedback on the issues, according to the report.
Investigators also read 2,800 reports from the past five years on the use of force by police officers in Aurora.
It was found that there was “a consistent pattern of illegal behavior” on the part of the police, according to Weiser’s statement.
“Almost half of the people the Aurora police used force against were blacks, although black residents make up about 15% of Aurora’s population,” Weiser’s statement said, citing annual reports on the use of force of ODA.
Blacks were also more than twice as likely to be arrested as whites, according to Weiser’s statement.
“In short, the Aurora Police have failed to create and oversee the appropriate expectations for responsible behavior,” the report said.
The investigation found that officers “generically recited” stop resisting “” when attempting to control subjects who appeared not to resist, according to the AG report. The investigation team observed officers forcefully dragging people down without giving them enough time to respond to an officer’s order.
Even under circumstances where a person would be in obvious mental distress, but would not pose a threat to themselves, the investigation found that officers immediately made matters worse, according to the report.
Officers used force against people who presented no danger and had not committed any crime, but simply refused to comply, according to the report.
Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson released a statement saying the department would work with Weiser’s office to determine how to implement the changes.
“We recognize that there are changes to be made. We will not sweep this agency away or downplay the professionalism and integrity that individual agents bring to our community every day,” Wilson said. “I have and continue to hold officers accountable, as evidenced by my recent disciplinary actions, which are supported by many officers in the department who are proud to wear our badge.”
Aurora FD illegally used ketamine, says AG
The Aurora Fire Department suspended the use of ketamine on September 14, 2020, but ketamine administration records from January 2019 to June 2020 show that during that time the service reported having administered ketamine 22 times for excited delirium, a life-threatening medical emergency, according to Weiser’s release.
“These records show that in more than half of the incidents, paramedics failed to follow ketamine monitoring protocols and administered ketamine at doses greater than the maximum dose allowed for the subject’s reported weight.” , indicates the press release.
AFD paramedics diagnosed McClain, the 23-year-old black man killed during a police check in 2019, with “excited delirium”. None of the paramedics checked his vital signs, spoke to McClain or touched him before making the diagnosis, according to an indictment earlier this month.
They then injected McClain with a dose of ketamine based on an estimate that he weighed 200 pounds, when he actually weighed 143 pounds, according to the indictment. He was declared brain dead three days later.
AFD has said it has no plans to reinstate ketamine use, but the report underscored the requirements in case it decides to do so. Requirements include reviewing dose recommendations, developing a “uniform method” to assess an individual’s agitation to reduce unnecessary drug use, providing clear training and information. policies for officers to give to paramedics; and creating a more stringent review process to ensure policy compliance, the Weiser statement said.
Fire Chief Fernando Gray said in a statement, “We find value in the report.”
“Before the investigation was completed, our department had already taken a myriad of steps to improve our service delivery, such as expanding the quality improvement / review process, improving our documenting patient care and modifying medical protocols to provide additional clarity between police and firefighters. medical interventions, which ultimately addressed many of the concerns raised in the report, ”he said.
The investigation team demands “that Aurora pay for an independent monitor, chosen with input from the police, fire department and Aurora City Council, who will report to a court and provide periodic public updates on Aurora’s progress in implementing these changes “.
“Further, to ensure that these changes can be implemented to the fullest extent possible, we will require the Aurora Civil Service Commission to make its work publicly transparent and available for review to the fullest extent possible. by current law for all work relating to the Aurora fire and the police, ”the report read.
The report says the city and the attorney general are required to enter a negotiation period to “incorporate these changes into a voluntary consent decree.” There will be 60 days for the city and the attorney general’s office to come to an agreement and implement the changes.
CNN’s Eric Levenson and Stella Chan contributed to this report.
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