Public safety is not only about responding to crime after harm has already happened. It is about preventing crisis, supporting first responders, reducing unnecessary use of force, and addressing the root causes that keep families and neighborhoods unsafe. House District 42 includes North Aurora, one of the areas of the city facing some of the highest public safety challenges and is one of Aurora’s highest-need public safety areas

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Aurora has been under a consent decree since the aftermath of Elijah McClain’s death, with required reforms around racial bias, use of force, de-escalation, documentation, and coordination between police and fire/medical responders. The city’s own consent decree progress page shows mandates requiring improved policies, scenario-based training, de-escalation training, and coordination between APD and Aurora Fire Rescue. At the same time, we have still seen serious concerns around officer-involved shootings, mental health crisis calls, and whether reforms are producing the results our community needs. That means we need a public safety agenda that supports both community members and first responders.

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As Your Legislator, I Will:​

•  Require police officers to participate in ride-alongs or field training with mental health clinicians and co-responder teams so officers are better prepared before they are in the middle of a mental health crisis. 

• Require every officer access to a yearly  mental health check-in. This should be preventative, not punitive. Officers are exposed to trauma, violence, substance use, domestic violence, child abuse, and crisis situations on a regular basis. Supporting officer wellness is part of keeping communities safe.

  • National research shows police personnel experience higher rates of PTSD and depression than the general population, with one 2024 review reporting PTSD and depression around 20% among police personnel compared with roughly 7% to 9% in the general population. Research has also found officer-perpetrated domestic violence estimates ranging widely from 4.8% to 40%, with a pooled estimate of 21.2%, showing why wellness, prevention, and accountability must be taken seriously.

  • Providing preventative, not punitive, mental health support for officers before accumulated trauma impacts decision-making, reducing the risk of escalation and improving outcomes for both officers and the community.

• Require trauma-informed training in police academies so officers understand the trauma they will encounter in the field — including mental health crises, poverty, addiction, domestic violence, and community violence — and are trained to respond in ways that reduce escalation and protect life.

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By investing in officer wellness, mental health crisis response, and trauma-informed training, we can better support first responders, reduce preventable harm, improve trust, and help bring down crime in HD42.

Public safety is also connected to poverty. When communities experience high crime, untreated trauma, housing instability, and lack of opportunity, families suffer. My goal is to help reduce crime while also lowering the poverty rate in HD42 over the next five to ten years through prevention, accountability, and real community investment.