2017’s major crime statistics are in.
What they say is below. We had a good year in 2017 as I’m sure you’ll notice. Overall, crime was down including a significant drop in violent crime. Of the eight major crime categories (murder, criminal sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault/battery, burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft and arson) we achieved impressive drops in six of them, one remained flat and only one category saw an increase when compared to 2016.One of the biggest concerns of the community and therefore, one of our biggest priorities, is shootings. While they were up just over 11% last year over 2016, our weapons arrests and the number of guns that we took off the streets skyrocketed, demonstrating our commitment to hold accountable, those who violate weapons laws.
Please look at the crime rate trends and keep in mind that in 1997, the City had 117,909 people. Its population grew to 181,426 in 2007 and 196,569 in 2012. Today, Aurora’s population is 203,195. Despite the massive growth in the past 20 years, the statistics show that we continue to keep crime low over the long haul.
While we are never satisfied with crime reductions— because we firmly believe that one crime is too many– we are proud of the progress we’ve made. That progress illustrates the amazing work that our officers and support personnel do every day. We’re also proud of the relationships we’ve built with the community as those relationships foster safe neighborhoods.
I hope that you’ll agree that the men and women of the Aurora Police Department are working hard for you.
2017 Major Crime Statistics (2016 Compared to 2017)
• Violent Crime (631 vs. 521) 17.4% Decrease • Property Crime (2889 vs. 2685) 7.1% Decrease • Total Major Crime (3520 vs. 3206) 8.9% Decrease Major Crime By Categories
(2016 Compared to 2017):
Violent Crime: • Murder (7 vs. 6) 14.3% Decrease • Criminal Sexual Assault (57 vs. 57) No Change • Robbery (130 vs. 108) 16.9% Decrease • Aggravated Assault/Battery (437 vs. 350) 19.9% Decrease
Property Crime: • Burglary (441 vs. 336) 17% Decrease • Theft (2260 vs. 2123) 6.1% Decrease • Motor Vehicle Theft (167 vs. 176) 5.4% Increase • Arson (21 vs. 20) 4.8% Decrease
Weapons Activity: • Total Shootings (132 vs. 147) 11.4% Increase • Unlawful Use of Weapons Arrests (96 vs. 132) 37.5% Increase • Total Firearms Taken In (165 vs. 253) 53.3% Increase
Traffic Highlights: • Total Crashes (6515 vs. 6268) 3.8% Decrease • Property Damage Crashes (5177 vs. 5035) 2.7% Decrease • Injury Crashes (1329 vs. 1230) 7.4% Decrease • Fatal Crashes (9 vs. 3) 66.7% Decrease • DUI Crashes/Arrests (114 vs. 149) 30.7% Increase • DUI Arrests (Non-Crash) (114 vs. 177) 55.3% Increase
Crime Rate Per 100,000 People- 20, 10 and 5 Year Trends: • Murder is down 82.6% in 2017 compared to 1997; 55.4% compared to 2007 and 0% when compared to 2012 • Criminal Sexual Assault is down 60.6% compared to 1997; 31.2% compared to 2007 and 15.2% compared to 2012 • Robbery is down 72.1% compared to 1997; 43.9 compared to 2007 and 16.4% compared to 2012 • Aggravated Assault/Battery is down 63.8% compared to 1997; 46.9% compared to 2007 and 9.2% compared to 2012 • Burglary is down 80.1% compared to 1997; 64.5% compared to 2007 and 62.5% when compared to 2012 • Theft is down 67.0% compared to 1997; 42.9% compared to 2007 and 17.7% when compared to 2012 • Motor Vehicle Theft is down 64.5% compared to 1997 and 40.7% when compared to 2007. However it is up 35.1% (the only increase in any of the trends) when compared to 2012 • Arson is down 67.8% when compared to 1997; 22.4% when compared to 2007 and 33.3% when compared to 2012
So that means… • Violent Crime is down 66.0% when compared to 1997; 45.1% compared to 2007 and 10.5% when compared to 2012. • Property Crime is down 69.6% when compared to 1997; 47.1% when compared to 2007 and 27.7% when compared to 2012 • Total Major Crime is down 69.1% compared to 1997; 46.8% when compared to 2007 and 25.4% when compared to 2012
Unfortunately, shootings have remained stubborn. While they’re down 38.8% over the 20 year trend (240 vs. 147), they’re up 30.1% in the ten year trend (113) and 149.2% in the five year. That five year number, however, is a bit skewed as 2012 was the year we had zero homicides and 57 shootings
