06/05/2026
Crime has dropped in the city of Aurora in each of the last three years and continues to decline through the first half of 2026.
As of May 24, all seven of the major crime categories tracked by the Aurora Police Department have declined compared to the same time period last year, including homicide, down 61.5 percent; s*x assault, down 27.8 percent; aggravated assault, down 12.8 percent; robbery, down 3.1 percent; burglary, down 26.9 percent; motor vehicle theft, down 44.1 percent and larceny, down 4.7 percent. Overall, crime is down 14.4 percent, which has resulted in approximately 792 fewer victims in the city of Aurora.
“We’re not chasing statistics for the sake of statistics because behind every data point is a real person victimized by crime,” said Chief Todd Chamberlain. “The declines we have seen over the last several years is a credit to the dedicated men and women of the Aurora Police Department who are out on the streets every day responding to calls for service and stopping victimization before it happens.”
Aurora police’s Gang Intervention Unit has been particularly successful in recent months disrupting gang-related violent crime and removing dangerous weapons from the streets. Between March 1 and May 27, gang detectives seized 21 fi****ms and made 17 felony arrests. Four of those 21 fi****ms were seized during one investigation involving a known suspect with prior arrests for weapons possession and aggravated assault in Aurora and the Denver metro area.
On March 13, gang unit officers on routine patrol observed a Chevy Tahoe with obscured license plates fail to stop for a stop sign at the intersection of East 16th Avenue and Joliet Street. Officers conducted a traffic stop and contacted the driver, 20-year-old Jeremiah Hernandez, and two passengers.
Due to Hernandez’s prior criminal history, including an Aurora police contact about two months earlier resulting in the seizure of a .223-caliber rifle, gang unit officers conducted a search of the vehicle. Officers seized four loaded fi****ms, including a .357 Magnum revolver, .40- and .45-caliber handguns, and a .22-caliber semi-automatic U*I pistol.
Hernandez was arrested on felony charges of possession of a weapon by a previous offender.
“The success of the Gang Intervention Unit is the result of the agency’s data-driven, hot spot policing strategy focusing on known violent offenders,” said Deputy Chief Kevin Barnes, who oversees the Special Operations Division. “The above case demonstrates why this work is so important. Despite multiple prior arrests involving weapons offenses and other violent crimes, this suspect continues to disregard the law and pose a threat to public safety.
“Our officers remain committed to identifying, targeting and arresting violent offenders to prevent further victimization and keep our community safe.”

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