Feb. 16, 2009
Aurora crime drops to 29-year low in 2008
True or false: Aurora is a safer place to live today than it was when President Carter was in the White House.
True.
According to statistics released this week, Aurora police took fewer reports for major crimes in 2008 than any year since 1978.
The latest crime statistics reinforce the impressive successes made against criminal activity in Aurora even as the population has exploded over the past three decades, said Mayor Tom Weisner.
“These statistics, while counterintuitive, showcase the positive changes that can happen when a community works together to keep neighborhoods safe. Normally, as a city grows in population, crime increases,” Weisner said. “Here in Aurora, we are seeing the lowest crime rate in almost 30 years despite a population increase of more than 100,000 people.
“These numbers are proof positive that Aurora is a safe place to visit and a great city in which to live and do business.”
In 1978, the city’s population was approximately 79,871, while in 2008, estimates put the city’s population at 190,000. According to statistics, major crimes (including the violent crime categories of murder, criminal sexual assault, robbery and aggravated assault/battery), have dropped dramatically. Compared to 1998, major crimes have decreased by 15.3 percent in raw numbers and 45.56 percent per 100,000 population. Equally impressive, major crimes have gone down since 2003 by 12.39 percent in raw numbers which equals 22.9 percent per 100,000 population.
“I am certain the reason we have seen drops in all areas of crime is because of our highly professional police department and our officers’ work with citizens and community groups as well as partnerships with agencies like the FBI and DEA,” Weisner said. “The department’s talent for solving cold case crimes also is sending a clear message to criminals: If you commit a crime in Aurora, we will find you and put you away.”
While Chief of Police Greg Thomas said he was “obviously pleased” with the crime drop, he said that the nation’s economic conditions will “necessitate increased vigilance for everyone in the community to be alert and report crime.
“Along with our dedicated police officers and support staff and the partnerships we continue to solidify with other law enforcement agencies at all levels, the citizens we serve have been instrumental in reducing crime over the years. I’m confident their efforts will continue in these tough economic times when property crimes may tend to increase.”
Major crimes, known more commonly as Part One Index Crimes, include the violent crime categories of murder, criminal sexual assault, robbery and aggravated assault/battery and the property crime categories of burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft and arson. There were 5,147 index crimes committed last year, the fewest since 1978, when there were 4,893 crimes reported. Significant drops also were recorded in the five-, 10- and 20-year crime trends.
Although not a major crimes category, reports of shots fired also have plummeted. They were down 2.7 percent last year, 38.5 percent in the past five years, and 60.3 percent over the past 10 years.
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