In addition to data on crime and police use of force, the portal currently includes a page that summarizes the Aurora Police Department’s demographics by internal metrics such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, seniority, and rank within the department. has been established. APD Division Chief Chris Juul said it was a question from the community.
Juhl said APD officials realized residents didn’t know as much about the department or how it operated as officials thought.
Now, “I think we realize the importance of sharing the data we collect with the community,” he said.
He sees the portal’s launch as part of the department’s “continuous improvement” efforts.
Gianina Horton, an Aurora resident, is co-leader of the Denver Justice Project and serves on the community council alongside Fields. “This is definitely the first phase of the portal and requires more time and effort and intention when it comes to data.” The community is really interested. ”
Hart Van Denberg/CPR NewsThe transparency portal will evolve to display other data and information, and APD is seeking input from the community on what should be included.
APD plans to add information about complaints and awards related to police interactions. Until now, data on complaints has been published in annual reports, but Schlanger said it should be made available on the portal in near real-time.
Horton and Fields said it’s important to not only recognize the work of police, but also to be able to verify that information.
Fields believes that transparency about positive police responses could also improve morale within the department, saying, “You can enter an officer’s badge number and see if he’s registered. “You should be able to see if there are any. It should be very easy,” she said.
Disciplinary action against officers who violate policy. Information about cold cases. And how community demographics compare to arrest and use-of-force data are all areas that community councils would like to add to the portal.
Juhl said the department already plans to add data on how many contacts with police are initiated by civilians and how many are initiated by police officers. And it also includes data on data from interactions with police officers, such as whether people are arrested or given citations or tickets.
He wants to hear from residents about what other data they would like to see in the new portal, and there will be a link there to provide feedback.
Fields would like to add information about the number of officers who live in Aurora or Arapahoe counties and the racial makeup of those officers to the page that shows police department demographics. She also wants to know the demographics of people who begin but don’t complete police and fire department training, and see if that information supports claims that it’s difficult to recruit people of color into these roles. That’s what I think.
“If they want to be a police officer, how do we bridge the gap to make sure they have that opportunity and end up working in the communities they grew up in?” Fields said. said. “Because that’s the model of real, true community policing: living in the community, knowing the people in the community, not being afraid of the people in the community.”
Data accessibility is another issue, according to Fields and Horton, who would like to see the data presented in a more understandable way than in the initial release.
“Aurora is very diverse across socio-economic, linguistic and class backgrounds,” Horton said. “We want to help people understand numbers in a way that resonates with their own lives and lived experiences.”
Fields has suggested the department hold a community forum to explain to people how to use the data portal and navigate the information currently available, and she plans to join in on that effort.
“I think the more data we can provide through this portal, the better off we are,” Schlanger said. “Really, nothing a government agency does should be kept secret or known to the public except in very rare cases.”
Hart Van Denberg/CPR NewsThe release of the portal does not alleviate all concerns about the data raised by consent decree monitors.
In October 2023, Schlanger noted that Aurora was behind schedule in collecting and reporting data on its interactions with the public.
The consent decree specifically directs Aurora to pursue arrests and citations issued for charges of failure to comply with a lawful order, resisting arrest, and criminal trespass. and monitoring the results of misdemeanor arrests. The Attorney General’s Office requested these data points because the use of these charges could reveal discriminatory enforcement practices.
Juhl said APD is working on compiling that information but has not yet made it available to consent decree watchdogs or the public. He said APD has always been good at collecting data, but “there hasn’t been a mechanism to use that data for self-improvement like we do now.”
Schlanger said APD’s new transparency portal does not address all of the deficiencies he cited and was never intended to do so. He said he expects to announce details of progress in April 2024, but for now, some of the data collection concerns have been resolved or are being addressed and he continues to monitor them closely. .
Consent decrees are entering a new phase. For more than a year, the focus has been on developing new policies, particularly on the use of force. An independent inspector general will now test whether Aurora police and fire departments are implementing these policies in their interactions with the community.
“The real question for the public is, ‘Am I feeling this on the streets of Aurora?’ And that’s what we’re going to test,” Schlanger said. Told.
