Aurora is hiring a new police chief — and it won’t be the interim leader
DENVER (KDVR) — Interim Aurora Police Chief Heather Morris said Friday that she will not apply to take on the role permanently. Her announcement came only months after she was sworn in this January.
The job listing for Aurora’s police chief was posted on Monday, offering a salary between $188,531.20 and $235,664. Applications were due by Friday, according to the listing.
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Morris sent a note to all employees of the Aurora Police Department on Friday affirming that she would not be applying for the new listing. Aurora City Manager Jason Batchelor will be in charge of the hiring process.
“As many of you may have seen, the Chief of Police position was posted on the city website on Monday. The posting will close today at 5 p.m. After thoughtful consideration, I have made the personal decision not to apply for the position,” Morris wrote. “It has been a privilege to serve the men and women of the Aurora Police Department first as the Interim Deputy Chief and for the last 6 months as the Interim Chief of Police.”
Morris will continue as the department’s interim chief until the next chief is sworn in. She also said she’s proud of the department’s members for their accomplishments in the last 15 months.
“I am excited about the future as well because I know that we will continue to build on our successes, and we will finally have a permanent Chief!” she wrote. “This has been a long journey and I want to thank all of you for your spirit and commitment to serving our community.”
She took over from Art Acevedo, who was offered the role of interim city manager over the Austin, Texas, police department. However, he decided to “pursue other opportunities.”
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When Morris was named interim chief, she said her top priorities were officer retention and increasing communication within the department. Recent posts from the department cite the largest incoming class of recruits in the past five or so years with 42 members, and on Thursday the department welcomed 26 recruits.
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The previous permanent chief was Vanessa Wilson, who was fired in April 2022 after she took the job in 2020. Since then, the department has had multiple interim chiefs — Morris was the third.
The Aurora Police Department has been heavily criticized in recent years, with many centering their focus on the death of Elijah McClain in 2019 when the department was under different administrators.
Officers faced litigation for placing McClain in a chokehold before paramedics injected him with ketamine. One was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault. The officer has appealed his case.
The department was also investigated by the Colorado Attorney General’s Office for potential racially biased policing in 2021. The department has since entered into a consent decree as a commitment to progress.
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