Aurora police department reports drop in violent and non-violent crimes
The Aurora Police Department is proud to announce that the City of Aurora’s current crime statistics indicate a significant drop in crime between the calendar years of 2005 and 2006.
Police agencies nationwide track crime statistics based on seven major crime categories, which are divided into two groups, violent crimes and non-violent crimes. The violent crime categories are homicide, robbery, sex assault and aggravated assault. Non-violent crime includes burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft.
Homicides represent the most significant drop among violent crimes, decreasing by approximately 40 percent between 2005 and 2006. Robbery and sex assault incidents decreased by six percent and three percent, respectively. However, the number of aggravated assaults increased by eight percent, modeling a nationwide pattern. Note that the eight percent figure is comprised of incidents that oftentimes involve only the display of a weapon and not the actual use of a weapon.
In the non-violent crime category, motor vehicle thefts showed a drop of approximately 25 percent. Overall, property crimes were down approximately 11.5 percent.
Aurora Police Chief Daniel J. Oates attributes the drop in crime to a number of factors, but stated that “the driving force behind the decrease in crime can be attributed to the hard work of the police officers and support staff throughout the entire organization.”
Chief Oates believes that other recently-implemented programs have contributed to the downward trend in crime. A key strategy was the formation of the Fugitive Apprehension and Surveillance Team (FAST), charged with arresting suspects as soon as possible to reduce a criminal’s opportunity to commit further offenses.
Other strategies include the consolidation of non-fatal shooting investigations in the Major Crime/Homicide Unit, and the re-institution of a Sex Crimes Unit. Prior to these changes, non-fatal shootings and sex crimes were investigated by Central Investigations Detectives, who sometimes were not specifically trained to investigate those types of crimes.
The Aurora Police Department has instituted monthly “CQT” meetings. “CQT” is the acronym for “Crime, Quality of Life, and Traffic,” reflecting the top law enforcement concerns voiced by citizens. Police Department administrators, along with district commanders and captains, bureau commanders, sector lieutenants, investigative sergeants, and other department personnel attend CQT meetings. Crime trends are studied, and strategies to attack problems are discussed and evaluated. CQT ensures that supervisors are held accountable for making progress in their areas of responsibility.
Members of the Aurora Police Department continue to work hard to improve the quality of life for the citizens they serve. We look forward to seeing a further reduction in the incidents of crime in the city, based on successful existing strategies and the implementation of new, innovative techniques designed to lower our overall crime statistics.
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