Ousted former police chief Vanessa Wilson has taken the first legal steps necessary to sue the city of Aurora, alleging she was illegally fired in retaliation for her reform efforts and discriminated against.

Wilson’s attorneys sent a “notice of claim” to the city in September, a step she is required to take before she can file a lawsuit, alleging city employees and councilmembers conspired to fire her illegally in order to prevent her from pursuing policing reforms. She also alleges city officials discriminated against her for her association with people of color and her “actions to protect members of Aurora’s Black community.”

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The city has denied she was fired illegally. One councilmember individually mentioned in Wilson’s allegations called her stance “so baseless,” while another described some of the specific allegations lodged against them as “a blatant lie.”

Wilson’s allegations

The letter sent by Wilson’s attorneys at King & Greisen, LLP alleges her firing was retaliation “for her commitment to enforcing the consent decree” and her goal to reform “the long-troubled police department, and end the racist policing practices that had unfortunately become the department’s hallmark.” Wilson’s attorneys could not be immediately reached for comment.

The letter specifically names Mayor Mike Coffman, Councilmembers Danielle Jurinsky and Dustin Zvonek, City Manager Jim Twombly, Deputy City Manager Jason Batchelo, and former officer and police union president Doug Wilkinson as some of the individuals who allegedly discriminated against her.

Wilson became interim chief in January 2020 after the retirement of her predecessor. She was with the department for roughly 26 years.

The department was facing numerous controversies when Wilson took the helm. That included the death of Elijah McClain, who died in 2019 after a violent interaction with Aurora police and EMS personnel.

In September 2021, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser issued a report that said a pattern of racially biased policing and excessive force within APD was disproportionately affecting people of color. The city and the state agreed to a five-year consent decree last fall, which stipulated the department would implement a number of reforms.

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As part of her approach to enforcing the decree, Wilson had fired “a small number of officers,” her letter to the city said, after she determined they used excessive force and violated the rights of residents of color. In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, Wilson sough to reform APD by “developing and implementing robust anti-bias policies and practices” as well, the letter said.

The letter described Wilson’s handling of high-profile incidents that thrust the department into controversy – such as officers forcing a Black mother and children to lay on hot pavement after mistaking their vehicle for a stolen one – and numerous more incidents.

The letter said Wilson had fired the former police union president Doug Wilkinson because he sent an email to Aurora Police Association members mocking the consent decree.

The letter quotes Wilkinson as writing that the decree aimed “to replace as many of the department’s white males as possible with as many women and minorities…. To match the ‘diversity’ of ‘the community,’ we could make sure to hire 10 percent illegal aliens, 50 percent weed smokers, 10 percent crackheads, and a few child molesters and murders to round it out. You know, so we can make the department to look like the community.”

Wilson is alleging the newly elected Councilmembers Zvonek and Jurinsky sought to stop her from pursuing reforms and pressured Twombly to fire her.

Jurinsky allegedly told Wilson in December 2021 that she would seek to reverse the decree, that she did not believe racial profiling occurred in Aurora, and that she was critical of Wilson for trainings meant to reduce use of force. The councilmember asked Wilson to keep Wilkinson on the force, the letter alleged.

In March of last year, the letter states Twombly urged Wilson to resign. She refused, the letter said, and was ultimately fired without cause on April 6, 2021.

The letter notes Aurora appointed two white men to fill Wilson’s role until a permanent replacement was found, including current interim Chief Dan Oates, who was previously chief “when the pattern and practice of racist policing was taking place,” the letter said. The letter also points out Aurora named three white men as finalists to replace Wilson, despite a third of applicants being people of color or women.

Retaliation continued after her firing, Wilson is alleging. The city “refused to allow Chief Wilson to have her badges following her 26 years of service,” despite other officers in good standing being allowed to keep badges after leaving APD.

Wilson also alleged the city refused to issue her a Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act card, which could allow her to conceal carry.

“Deputy city Manager Jason Batchelor told Chief Wilson that he had approved releasing the badges and LEOSA card, but he was overruled by ‘the powers that be,'” the letter states.

City response

Aurora officials are pushing back against the allegations. In a statement, city spokesman Ryan Luby maintained Wilson was an at-will employee who Twombly legally terminated.

Twombly did not fire her for “prioritizing community involvement,” as her notice of claim alleges, Luby said. He referenced a news release the city issued in April 2022, in which Twombly said a chief must effectively manage the department, build staff morale and validate employee feedback.

The city provided a termination letter addressed to Wilson, citing “failure to effectively create a positive culture of stability, employee satisfaction, and engagement in the agency” as one reason for her termination. She also failed to manage overall department operations, the statement said.

“Mr. Twombly and the city management team wholeheartedly embraced Ms. Wilson’s community engagement efforts and, as she herself noted in a news conference following her termination, supported her through tough decisions she made during her time as chief,” Luby’s statement said.

In contrast to her allegations, Aurora has “always maintained that the consent decree is the path forward,” Luby said.

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“City management is unwavering in the commitment to fulfill the terms of the consent decree to ensure that the Aurora Police Department serves every member of our community equitably,” Luby said.

Councilmember Jurinsky said Wilson did not legitimately work toward department reforms, is refusing to hold herself accountable and is blaming anyone but herself for her termination.

“It’s laughable. She’s an at-will employee, and Jim Twombly’s the one who fired her,” she said.

Jurinsky did not have many conversations with Twombly about Wilson’s employment, she said, adding that the city manager “kept council in the dark” about his own investigating of Wilson and negotiations regarding her employment. She did not believe her views held much sway on his decision, she said.

“If it was up to me, and I’d have had it my way, she’d have been gone on day one,” Jurinsky said.

Jurinsky denied asking Wilson to keep the former union police on the force, calling that claim “a blatant lie,” and said she never told the chief racial profiling did not occur in the city.

“I am adamantly saying those things are untrue,” Jurinsky said.

Jurinsky said she had met with Wilson for a lunch meeting and alleged the chief mainly discussed having a friendship with the former Lt. Martin Garland, who was under public scrutiny at the time.

Garland resigned last year before Wilson could fire him amid a hit-and-run investigation where he may have been driving intoxicated. Jurinsky said Wilson ignored the incident until it became public knowledge and she faced pressure to respond.

“I look forward to seeing her in court,” Jurinsky said.

Councilmember Zvonek acknowledged he relayed to Twombly concerns he heard in the community regarding Wilson’s performance. He never waged a public campaign to pressure Twombly into firing Wilson, he said.

“That never happened,” he said. “I never said anything publicly about her being fired.”

Zvonek also rebuffed the letter for alleging he wanted Wilson fired for pursuing reforms.

“There is not a person she fired that I disagreed with,” Zvonek said.

As a candidate, Zvonek said he often heard about low morale in the department, and that officers he spoke with overwhelmingly agreed she was not performing well as chief. Zvonek wanted Wilson to focus more on public safety than she did, he said. Rather than lowering crime, she focused more on working as a community liaison, he said. Wilson’s notice of claim letter refuted the notion Aurora became less safe because of her leadership.

The decision to terminate her was the city manager’s, Zvonek said.

“She was an at-will employee. She was underperforming, and the city manager decided to let her go,” Zvonek said.