On Friday, December 8, 2023, the ACLU of Colorado submitted a letter to Aurora City Council asking them to repeal Resolution 2023-118. This resolution directed the presiding judge and the city manager to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) to contract out the indigent defense services provided by the Aurora Public Defender’s Office.
Aurora City Council originally voted in favor of this resolution on a 6-4 vote on October 16, 2023, citing a need to cut costs.
In this letter, ACLU explains how privatizing the public defender’s office will both fail to save Aurora money and will result in worse representation for indigent clients.
We hope that the Aurora City Council will walk back this attempt to privatize the Aurora Public Defender’s Office by repealing Resolution 2023-118 and properly funding the public defender’s office.