AURORA — During a Town Hall meeting in Aurora on Saturday, those with the Aurora Police Department (APD) discussed crime trends throughout the city.
According to APD, motor vehicle theft increased 31.3% this year when compared to last year. During that same time period, violent crime increased 20%. Police say in many instances, criminals use stolen cars to commit other crimes.
Those with APD said they do not have enough officers to cover the entire city, which is one reason Interim Police Chief Dan Oates decided to bring back the Direct Action Response Team, known as DART. DART focuses on analytical crime data in an effort to proactively patrol certain areas.
Last month, a few APD units collectively made 50 felony arrests, 42 misdemeanor arrests, recovered 14 occupied stolen vehicles and 6 unoccupied stolen vehicles, and recovered 20 guns. At the Town Hall, APD announced crime is down in Aurora in almost every category, except burglaries. Specifically, those with the department said car theft has decreased by 30%.
APD admits those figures are a snapshot of only 30 days, and that the decrease could be an anomaly. However, Mayor Mike Coffman attributes the decline to DART and a new ordinance enacted in late August in Aurora. The ordinance established mandatory minimum sentences for car theft, with first time offenders receiving 60 days of jail time, and repeat offenders receiving 120 days.
"Getting down the crime rate is important not only from the standpoint of public safety, but from the standpoint of economic development if we are to move forward as a city in terms of growing our economy and prosperity," Mayor Coffman said. "I believe there's no question that we will bring down the crime rate and it will be the Aurora that I grew up in."
Still, some residents at the Town Hall were skeptical about the decrease in crime. Wonda Perez said she has had her car stolen twice, and felt the mayor was dismissive of her questions during the discussion. She described living in Aurora as "miserable."
“What I feel is the abandonment of the community," Perez said after the meeting. “I look behind myself continuously in order to cross the street. So no, I'm not satisfied with it. Not at all.”
At the Town Hall, APD said recruitment is a problem for the department. Due to the shortage of officers, APD said they increased their pay to try and attract more applicants.