The job of Interim Police Chief fell into the hands of Aurora Police Department Cmdr. Paul Nelson on Friday, following the retirement of former Chief Greg Thomas.
He will serve in that capacity until a new chief is chosen by Mayor Thomas Weisner and is approved by City Council.
“The Aurora Police Department chief selection process is in progress,” city spokesman Clayton Muhammad said. “After a first round of interviews and surveys of the members of the Aurora Police Department – sworn officers and civilian staff – Mayor Weisner is conducting another round of interviews with finalists prior to making a recommendation to the Aurora City Council.”
Nelson doesn’t have his hat in the running for the new chief position, but as the Support Services Commander, the interim job fell to him, he said.
“Because it’s just the interim position I’m filling, I don’t want to engage in any drastic changes or policy diversions,” Nelson said. “I just want to keep the train running and defer any major policy changes we want to get into for the next chief. It’s only appropriate.”
Still, there’s plenty of work to be done, he said.
“There are a lot of things that need to be done before the end of the year that should be set in motion now,” he said.
He plans on getting things in line for the next chief so his or her transition will be smooth, he said.
One of those things is making sure the department is up to date with new policies that begin in January.
“I would be doing the next chief a disservice to defer all of those things to him or her on such short notice,” Nelson said.
So, he’ll do the task at hand while the mayor makes his decision, he said. Although he’s not sure when his end-date will be.
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“I’m just going to act like the chief’s on vacation,” Nelson said. “I’m someone to keep things on track and make sure all of the daily tasks get done so the next chief is ahead of the game.”