Police Review Board Proposal Moves Forward In Aurora

AURORA, IL — Aurora is one step closer to establishing a citizen-led board to review complaints against police officers after a proposed ordinance cleared its first hurdle in the approval process earlier this week.

Aldermen on the council’s Public Health, Safety and Transportation committee were the first to consider an ordinance to establish a nine-person board that would accept complaints from the public and refer them to the Aurora Police Department.

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A civilian review board “is not an investigative body, it’s a referring body,” Rick Veenstra, the city’s corporation council, said Tuesday while outlining the proposal.

Much of the Aurora Police Department’s complaint-review process would remain the same if a civilian review board was established.

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Currently, the city’s Office of Professional Standards receives and investigates complaints against officers, acting as a “fact-finding body” for the police department, Veenstra said.

The OPS then sends its findings to police commanders, who recommend disciplinary actions to Chief Kristen Ziman. An employee review board made up of Aurora police officers also reviews the investigation to recommend potential discipline.

Ziman is the only person who can discipline officers under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement between the city and police union, Veenstra said. Any recommendation to fire an officer must be approved by the city’s director of human resources, Veenstra said.

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If a civilian review board is established, it would review OPS investigations into complaints against officers after police commanders and the employee review board make their disciplinary recommendations, the proposal shows.

It would also review those disciplinary recommendations before making its own recommendations to Ziman. Officers facing discipline would receive a hearing before the chief issues a decision.

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One person watching the committee’s meeting Tuesday on Facebook called the city’s proposal “a glorified option at best,” saying it would ensure any civilian review board “has no real power.”

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin called for a civilian review board as part his CHANGE Reform Initiative, which he presented to the City Council on June 9 following weeks of nationwide protests after police killed George Floyd in Minneapolis.

City officials said they adapted similar civilian review board ordinances in Evanston and Oak Park to craft the proposal. The proposal under consideration in Aurora calls for nine citizens to sit on the civilian review board.

Another City Council committee will review the proposed ordinance before it receives consideration from the full council.

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