Aurora city officials, police to host Community Listening Sessions this fall

A consistent recommendation during the CHANGE police policy review sessions held this summer was for the city to hold meetings where residents can share general thoughts on policing and progress in Aurora beyond policy discussions.

In response to the requests, a weekly series of community listening sessions will be held over the next month.

Beginning Thursday, residents can attend the sessions held at community locations in different geographic areas of the city:

• Oct. 8 at New England Church, 406 W. Galena Blvd.

• Oct. 15 at St. Therese Church, 271 N. Farnsworth Ave.

• Oct. 22 at Main Baptist Church, 814 E. Galena Blvd.

• Oct. 29 at Impact Church, 4054 Fox Valley Center

• Nov. 5 at Society 57, 100 S. River St.

Each 90-minute listening session will begin at 6 p.m.

Mayor Richard Irvin, Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman and/or Deputy Chief Keith Cross and other city officials will be in attendance. The session on Oct. 15 will be conducted with full Spanish translations.

Due to capacity limits to accommodate social distancing, registration is required for each meeting. Residents can register at www.aurora-il.org/CHANGE.

The first phase of the CHANGE Reform Initiative has advanced with actionable items such as body cameras, a civilian review board, executive action items and responses to recommendations gathered during the initial meetings. Presentations and updates can also be viewed aurora-il.org.