Aurora police revamped SWAT operations after killing unarmed man last year

The Aurora Police Department made numerous changes to its SWAT operations after one of the company s members killed an unarmed man last year according to a new record from the independent monitor overseeing court-ordered modification at the agency Kilyn Lewis a -year-old Black man was unarmed holding a phone and raising his hands in the air when Officer Michael Dieck a member of SWAT at the time shot him as the club tried to arrest Lewis on attempted-murder charges on May Lewis s killing sparked outrage among his family and group members and raised questions about how Aurora police handled the attempted arrest IntegrAssure the independent consent-decree monitor over Aurora police previously raised concerns about why the SWAT crew was sent to serve the warrant why the officers did not use less-lethal weapons and why the group approached Lewis without any protective cover The Florida-based police oversight firm also noted Dieck had previous on-duty shootings and questioned whether he should have been allowed on the SWAT squad The department made previously undisclosed changes to address each of those concerns even though Lewis killing was uncovered to be within the law and Aurora police plan according to a document distributed Tuesday by IntegrAssure Dieck who had served on the SWAT squad for eight years was removed from that assignment after the killing according to the statement A decision not solely based on this case but also grounded in considerations of officer wellness population trust and a comprehensive assessment of past engagements the review disclosed An Aurora police spokeswoman did not promptly return a request for comment Wednesday The police department also expanded the SWAT gang s use of less-lethal weapons and now requires a commander or division chief to be present at all SWAT callouts whenever manageable The SWAT squad changed the way it handles high-risk stops and how it approaches barricaded persons of interest to ensure officers stay behind cover longer according to the review The SWAT squad also developed a formal system for categorizing warrants as high- or low-risk which will reduce the frequency with which the group serves arrest and search warrants because SWAT will only handle such arrests if the warrant is considered high-risk according to the analysis The SWAT group has increased its focus on training and incorporated rigorous physical and psychological evaluations into the selection and retention process for SWAT officers according to the description Going forward officers who have been involved in more than one on-duty shooting will be individually evaluated to determine whether they should join or remain on the SWAT club according to the record This assessment will consider the circumstances of each occurrence the officer s overall performance history officer wellness and district trust to ensure that SWAT remains staffed with officers who uphold the highest operational standards and in whom the district has confidence the description reads The cumulative effect of the changes on the SWAT squad is an overall shift in SWAT s operational philosophy and a change in the company s internal way of life to emphasize collaboration instead of top-down mandates according to the assessment Under Chief Todd Chamberlain s leadership SWAT has scaled back non-critical deployments so the unit is reserved for high-risk complex operations where their specialized training is bulk needed the review reads This strategic shift prioritizes deliberate well-planned responses over reactive deployments allowing SWAT to deploy with all necessary tools and tactics in play while maintaining maximum control over tempo and positioning Related Articles Kilyn Lewis family supporters rally in Aurora He did not deserve to die like that Document by Aurora police watchdog raises questions about shooting that killed Kilyn Lewis No charges against Aurora police officer who fatally shot Kilyn Lewis DA says Black man killed by Aurora police was unarmed and holding a phone body camera footage shows Lewis family has protested the district attorney s decision not to file criminal charges against Dieck An attorney for the family did not promptly return a request for comment Wednesday Problems in the Aurora police SWAT club have been longstanding mentioned Qusair Mohamedbhai whose law firm previously represented the Lewis family but no longer does Naeschylus Carter-Vinzant an unarmed Black man was killed by an Aurora SWAT officer as the gang attempted to arrest him on a warrant in March Mohamedbhai pointed out Aurora agreed to a million settlement in that killing and commented the department would make reforms The tragic death of Naeschylus Carter exposed a lot of the concerns with the tactics used by Aurora s SWAT officers and the fact that we see them continuing in contemporary times is very disheartening Mohamedbhai mentioned Because Aurora did not learn the necessary lessons they needed to learn from the death of Naeschylus Carter Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day