AURORA | Some high-crime areas can expect an added police presence this summer as Aurora police launch an experimental summer crackdown.
Aurora police Chief Dan Oates told City Council’s Public Safety Committee last week that the department is planning a crackdown on summer-evening crime. The task force will consist of two sergeants and about a dozen officers working from June 23 to Aug. 31
Oates said he expects the task force to be popular among officers.
“I think this is going to be a big hit, and I think next summer we’ll have police knocking down doors trying to get in,” he said.
Much of the focus will be on gun crimes, as well as burglaries, larcenies and thefts from vehicles.
About two-thirds of vehicle break-ins occur between 3 p.m. and 1 a.m. at several locations along the East Colfax Avenue corridor, Oates said.
By focusing resources on areas where police know those crimes occur, police say they hope to cut down on those crimes.
Aurora City Councilwoman Melissa Miller, who represents much of northwest Aurora and the Colfax corridor, said she welcomed the idea.
“Folks in the area know when patrol works — so this sounds like a great initiative,” she said.
Aurora police spokeswoman Sgt. Cassidee Carlson said the task force will be similar to the department’s Direct Action Response Team in that both specialized units can be used to tackle a specific spike in crime as needed.
On the summer task force, the officers will come from all over the department.
Oates said once the task force wraps up in August, police plan to review data to make decisions for next year.
“We’ll capture very ounce of data we can and make our decisions with regard to next summer based on this experiment,” he said.
Reach reporter Brandon Johansson at 720-449-9040 or bjohansson@aurorasentinel.com