AURORA, Colo. — Statistics show the City of Aurora is experiencing a drop in crime, and Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain believes proactive policing is the reason why.
“I think that this department, without question, is going in the right direction,” Chamberlain said during a sit-down with Denver7's Ryan Fish on Thursday.
Chamberlain said overall crime, which includes property and violent crime, is down about 21% year-to-date compared to the same time last year. According to Aurora PD, as of May 18, the city has seen:
- 15.6% decrease in larceny
- 38.5% decrease in motor vehicle theft
- 31% decrease in burglary
As of May 25, the police department reports:
- 30.9% decrease in robbery
- 54.8% decrease in commercial robbery
- 18.1% decrease in robberies involving individuals
- 23.5% decrease in street robbery
- 21.4% increase in residential robbery (17 year-to-date compared to 14 year-to-date in 2024)
According to the police chief, property crime and violent crime are connected, since smaller crimes often turn into larger crimes. Therefore, Chamberlain has instituted policy and strategic changes to take a "holistic" view of crime.
“Before, there was not an accountability component,” he said. “Someone could come in, they could steal a car, and what we're finding is most of these cars that we're dealing with that have been stolen are being used for other crimes.
“We've had individuals that have been on parole, probation for multiple motor vehicle thefts. We've had individuals that have been on parole, probation, or been [previously] arrested for robberies, for violent crimes. We've gotten probably about 15 guns out of these individuals' cars.”
About six weeks ago, APD launched its MetroTrack program, which allows residents who opt in to receive a free Bluetooth GPS tracking device, like an Apple AirTag, to hide in their car. Then, if their car is stolen, they can contact APD with information about the location for police to respond.
Aurora PD said about 400 people have taken part in the program so far, with none of them reporting a stolen vehicle as of Thursday.
🚘Protect your vehicle for free with MetroTrack!🚘
— Aurora Police Dept (@AuroraPD) June 2, 2025
Auto theft can impact anyone — but you can take proactive steps to help recover your vehicle if it’s ever stolen.
MetroTrack is a free initiative from the Aurora Police Department that provides community members with Bluetooth… pic.twitter.com/ORon0reg9e
APD reports motor vehicle theft is down about 39% compared to the first five months of 2024.
Homicides are down from 14 year-to-date in 2024 to 13 year-to-date this year. Meanwhile, non-fatal shootings have dropped from 42 to 24.
“The fact that we are almost able to cut it to half the number of people that were victimized by a shooting, the number of people that were actually shot, the number of families that were impacted by that, that speaks volumes,” Chamberlain said.
The police chief credits a more proactive approach from the department, without over-policing. Chamberlain told Denver7 there’s been a concerted effort to identify places and people tied to a problematic trend.
The City of Aurora’s SAVE (Standing Against Violence Every Day) program is part of that approach and involves working with local nonprofit groups.
“It's not a ‘scared straight,’” Chamberlain explained, acknowledging the program does not work for everyone. “It's about communication. It's about telling them, ‘Hey, this is what law enforcement is going to do if you continue on this path, if you or your group continue on this path.’ But it's not just about that discussion. It's also about giving them alternatives… We can get them a job. We can give them services. We can give them substance abuse training. We can give them counseling. We can give them tattoo removal... They can change their life.”
Crime
Report: Denver violent crime rates see a big drop in the first quarter of 2025
Xavier Davis is president and lead mentor with R.O.Y.A.L Mentoring Group, which works with at-risk youth to stop violence. From what he sees, the problem is only getting worse.
“If you're basing it off numbers, I mean, I guess [Aurora PD] could probably say crime is going down,” Davis told Denver7. “But there's so many things that we don't, you don't hear about… Social media is making it cool to be a violent person towards somebody who has nothing to do with the gang… I’m seeing kids as young as 8, 9 years old with gun cases now. Like, it's getting out of hand.”
Just this week, an overnight shooting in an Aurora park left a 15-year-old girl dead and two others wounded. A 14-year-old Colorado Springs boy was arrested Wednesday in connection with the shooting.
Davis hopes police give organizations like his more room to work.
“A lot of kids just don't want to [talk],” he said. “Anything police-involved, they'll shut down on you… You need to trust some of the guys with lived experience that can really go out here and go… where you can't go to talk to these kids. And then they will actually listen to us. Like, when I go into the jails and I talk to these kids, they know I have the same background as them, but I overcame it.”
Both Davis and Chamberlain want parents to be more aware of what their kids are doing. Davis said the community should get more involved in volunteering with local anti-violence groups, as well.
“If people just focus on themselves and not really take time to look back, then it's probably, we're going to be stuck with this problem, like, forever,” he said.
