The city of Aurora and the Colorado Attorney General’s Office have selected IntegrAssure, a Florida-based risk management consultancy, to provide independent oversight as Aurora resolves issues identified in a ‘Patterns and Practices’ report on the city’s public safety agencies. Aurora is required to make the changes in accordance with a consent decree reached between the organizations in November 2021. As Consent Decree Monitor, the IntegrAssure team will report on the city’s progress to the Arapahoe County District Court where the consent decree was filed.
“I welcome IntegrAssure’s commitment to collaborate throughout this process. Collaboration between the city, the AG’s Office, our dedicated police officers and firefighters, other city employees and community stakeholders has been the cornerstone of our collective approach from the outset and is critical to maintain if we are to achieve what our community deserves,” said Aurora City Manager Jim Twombly. “I believe the IntegrAssure team has a varied background and depth of experience that will ensure all stakeholders have a voice and a seat at the table over the next several years.”
IntegrAssure was one of two finalists to engage in a virtual public forum hosted by the city on Jan. 5 to answer questions from the community before the city and AG’s Office jointly selected which firm would serve as Consent Decree Monitor. Both firms had previously interviewed with the city’s executive management team, Aurora City Attorney’s Office, AG’s leadership team, and command staff from the Aurora Police Department and Aurora Fire Rescue.
“This independent consent decree monitor brings an experienced team to support the changes Aurora has committed to make to its police and fire departments. I appreciate this team’s commitment to community engagement, collaboration, and use of diverse subject matter experts. Our team looks forward to working with them,” said Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser.
“Experience has shown us that a consent decree can be an extremely effective mechanism to catalyze reform, which in turn fosters community trust, reduces crime, and enhances officer safety,” said Jeff Schlanger, the president of IntegrAssure and the lead monitor for the consent decree. “These are our goals for the city of Aurora, and we are honored to play a role in creating a fairer and safer Aurora for all. We look forward to working collaboratively with the community and other stakeholders to ensure that fairness, transparency, accountability, and a process of continuous improvement become embedded in the culture of Aurora public safety.”
The Aurora City Council is scheduled to vote on a contract to pay for IntegrAssure’s services and finalize the competitive bidding process during the regular city council meeting on Feb. 14.
The Consent Decree Monitor position is separate and apart from the Independent Police Monitor division the city will fill later this year to oversee discipline and accountability at the Aurora Police Department.