The new Aurora Civilian Review Board held its first meeting Thursday night, and it was a long time coming.
The first board to give civilian review over complaints against the Aurora Police Department, as well as advice on training and procedures, was more than a year in the making.
And no one knows that better than the first chair of the board, Kim Bright, an attorney and retired federal administrative law judge. Bright moderated the first public hearing that was part of the CHANGE initiative, started by City Hall to address complaints and hold community discussions about the Aurora Police Department.
The CHANGE initiative came as a result of the unrest in Aurora and throughout the country after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020 at the hands of a police officer. One of the results was the creation of the Civilian Review Board, something many people asked for during public discussions.
“I started this journey more than a year ago,” Bright said.
In fact, Bright said it was about time to start meeting, after the newly selected, first nine members of the board went through an extensive screening process and training. Bright said it was helpful to get the training and information about police procedures.
“But we view ourselves as independent,” she said.
The first order of business was electing Bright the chair of the board, and Andrea McMillian, an IT and innovation manager who has her own podcast, as vice chair. Next up at next month’s meeting will be establishing procedures and guidelines, Bright said, so the board can get on with reviewing some issues awaiting it.
Bright asked board members to come back with their own suggestions about how to move forward, and she is soliciting similar ideas from the public, through the review board’s website. She said the board also can get help from other review boards across the country, as well as from a review board association that exists.
When the City Council approved creation of the board last year, many of those who had called for it then criticized it – saying the authority of the board did not go far enough.
Bright has advice for them.
“At least give the board a chance,” she said. “And help us out with ideas. We all want a safe community. I don’t think anyone would want any less than that.”
She said once the board is up and running, there could be changes, including more power, at least as allowed by state law.
In the meantime, she said the board does have the authority to give opinions about complaints, as well as to do outreach with the community and education. She said the board can shine a light on procedures where it has not shone before.
“Sunlight is always a good thing,” she said. “At least (people) have the opportunity to be heard. There are opportunities for citizens to recommend.”
The other seven members of the board are: Dr. Timothy Brown, a retired clinical psychologist; Rajesh Char, a digital marketer; Dr. Vince Gaddis, a college professor and pastor; Jacqueline Gibson, a middle school principal in the East Aurora School District; Ginger Ingram, who owns a daycare in the city and is an English-as-a-second-language instructor; Lily Rocha, a West Aurora schools graduate who is the regional manager of a national non-profit organization; and Curtis Wilson, a clinical trials research professional.
The review board is one of several outcomes of Aurora’s CHANGE initiative.
Police body cameras, a review of use-of-force policies and the establishment of an Equity and Inclusion Department at City Hall were other recommendations the city has been putting into place this past year, city officials said.
