AURORA | Aurora Police say its new Real Time Information Center is already reshaping how officers respond to crime, reporting dozens of arrests and hundreds of cases supported in the 90 days since the high-tech hub fully launched.
The center, unveiled Nov. 19, integrates city-owned security cameras, Flock Safety license plate readers and the department’s drones-as-first-responders program into a centralized operation powered by Axon’s Fusus platform.
The system gives officers access to live and historical video, vehicle data and mapping tools as calls unfold.
Deputy Chief Phil Rathbun said the center is designed to reduce victimization and speed up investigations.
“This is not simply about numbers or reducing crime statistics,” Rathbun said. “Behind every number is a person, a family and a life impacted by crime.”
In its first three months, analysts and officers assigned to the center assisted in 132 arrests, gathered real-time evidence in 460 cases, recovered 69 stolen vehicles and cleared 118 calls for service without dispatching an officer, Aurora police spokesperson Joe Moylan said in a statement.
Police said that has freed patrol officers to respond more quickly to in-progress emergencies.
In one recent case, real-time analysts monitoring city cameras spotted an auto-pedestrian crash in a marked construction zone near East Sixth Avenue and Airport Boulevard. Real-time center staffers broadcast a call for service before anyone at the scene dialed 911, expediting medical and police response.
The pedestrian did not suffer serious injuries, police said.
The unit also worked with the U.S. Marshals Service to identify and locate a wanted fugitive’s vehicle traveling through Aurora, leading to the suspect’s arrest.
Moylan said using license plate readers and drones, analysts helped recover five stolen vehicles in the past week alone, arresting four people, including what police described as a “prolific car thief” previously arrested seven times by Aurora officers.
Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said the technology has been a “force multiplier” amid an overall crime decline.
The city recorded nearly a 25% reduction in crime in 2025 compared with 2024, resulting in about 3,700 fewer victims, according to the department. Through the first seven weeks of 2026, crime is down 24.2% compared with the same period last year, with six of seven major index crime categories showing decreases. Robbery is the only category up so far, with 34 incidents reported, four more than at this time in 2025.
The new police center and philosophy comes amid a substantial drop in a variety of crimes, across the nation, across the metro area and across Aurora.
“The city of Aurora experienced a nearly 25% reduction in crime in 2025, resulting in 3,700 fewer victims than in 2024,” said Aurora Police Department Chief Todd Chamberlain. “This progress reflects first and foremost the dedication and commitment of our officers, who work every day to protect those we serve.”
National crime experts say much of the reduction seen across the nation is the result of extraordinary crime rates that soared during the pandemic receding to pre-pandemic levels.
Some experts say cities like Aurora and Denver have reported post-pandemic increases in patrolling and becoming more visible, leading to a reduction in crimes.
“But technology has also been a critical force multiplier in our public safety efforts,” Chamberlain said, “and we will continue using every available tool to strengthen community safety and protect the people of Aurora.”
Data collected from 35 American cities showed a 21% decrease in the homicide rate from 2024 to 2025, translating to about 922 fewer homicides last year, according to a new report from the independent Council on Criminal Justice.
The report, released last month, tracked 13 crimes and recorded drops last year in 11 of those categories including carjackings, shoplifting, aggravated assaults and others. Drug crimes saw a small increase over last year and sexual assaults stayed even between 2024 and 2025, the study found.
Aurora police began piloting elements of the real-time system over the past year, combining nearly 100 cameras, license plate readers and drone deployments with live analysts who monitor priority 911 calls. Drones can launch in less than 90 seconds and stream video directly to responding patrol cars, allowing officers to assess scenes before they arrive.
Supporters say the system improves response times and investigative efficiency.
Critics of similar programs nationwide have raised privacy concerns, particularly over aerial surveillance and data-sharing with private camera owners.
Aurora police leaders have said the technology is used reactively and under existing legal guidelines.