In the latest Aurora Police Department consent decree report, the monitor praised the department’s follow-up to the Kilyn Lewis shooting last May and said the police chief made important changes to the SWAT team.

The eighth of 12 reports from the consent decree monitor was released Tuesday, laying out the progress the department has made between Aug. 16 and Feb. 16.

The city entered into the consent decree with the Colorado Attorney General’s Office in 2021 to implement sweeping changes to policing — notably in the use of force and how officers engage with residents following Elijah McClain’s death at the hands of police and paramedics.

Aurora agreed to make changes after an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office found patterns of bias and excessive force in policing. The investigation also found a pattern of using the sedative ketamine in violation of the law by the fire department, which has since stopped using the drug but has to comply with related mandates in the consent agreement if it ever resumes use.

The monitor said in the latest report that it is “pleased and encouraged by” the city’s progress in the decree, adding that it has “substantially embraced the philosophy” of the decree.

It then honed in on several specific instances of importance during the latest period, including the police shooting of Lewis on May 23.

Lewis was unarmed and shot during the execution of a high-risk arrest warrant by APD SWAT. The 18th Judicial District determined that the shooting was justified and an internal review by APD determined that the officer, Michael Dieck, did not violate department policy.

The consent decree monitor reviewed both the district attorney and department’s reviews and said in the report that they both reached appropriate conclusions. It added that there were allegations pf potential bias and constitutional policing issues in the last reporting period that were not sustained.

Protesters for Lewis, however, continue to show up at every City Council meeting, maintaining that the shooting was unjust and the city needs to take further action against Dieck and the department.

Lewis’ shooting pushed Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain to review APD’s SWAT protocol and make several changes, the report said.

“The need for significant reform of SWAT operational practices was recognized by both the Monitor and APD, and APD addressed and implemented such reforms,” the report stated.

The monitor praised Chamberlain’s SWAT review and the subsequent changes, saying they “represent a shift in SWAT’s operational philosophy.”

Notably, APD made its approval process for warrant service requests more rigorous. In the Lewis case, APD SWAT officers were executing a warrant out of Denver, which SWAT can still do following the review, but the approval process to take on warrants from a different jurisdiction is more intense.

Chamberlain’s review also led to changes in policy for the use of less-lethal options. The department added a designated operator to every arrest situation who ensures that less-lethal tools are used before lethal force is used.

The department revised its selection process for SWAT officers to add “rigorous” physical and psychological evaluations, according to the report.

“APD’s SWAT review and subsequent modifications mark a significant step forward in enhancing tactical efficiency, oversight and accountability,” the report concluded. “These changes reflect a deliberate shift in strategy, reinforcing SWAT’s role as a highly skilled, mission-focused team dedicated to executing critical operations safely and effectively.”

The report also addressed Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua and APD’s connection to immigration enforcement, saying that the political landscape creates a “complex environment” for the department.

Going forward, the monitor will assess and report on APD’s collaboration with federal authorities and make sure they follow state and federal law. Specifically, they will make sure APD’s handling of immigration policing meets the consent decree’s requirements for bias-free policing, according to the report.

According to the monitor, the department has completed the requirements for several decree categories including general policies and training and use of ketamine and other chemical sedatives.

The department is on the right track with use of force, recruiting, hiring and promotion, and accountability and transparency, according to the monitor.

They are on cautionary tracks for addressing racial bias in policing and documentation of stops.

The full consent decree report can be found on the monitor’s website.