For the First Time in Six Decades, Aurora Ends Year With No Murders - Aurora Beacon News
This is the town in which I live. When I lived in other suburbs of Chicagoland it was known as a bad, bad place. Lots of immigrants, gangs and crime. We still have a large immigrant population. What a contrast with Chicago.
For the First Time in Six Decades, Aurora Ends Year With No Murders - Aurora Beacon News
In the 1990s, the city averaged more than one murder per month. Crime reduction became a top priority for police, city officials, schools, community groups and even the clergy. Over the past 20 years, the number of murders, violent crimes and shootings have all steadily decreased, even as the population surged.
“That’s amazing,” Aurora Police Chief Greg Thomas said Tuesday afternoon. “We went through a lot of stuff to get there.”
In 1987, there was one homicide in Aurora. Murders were not uncommon at that time, but the city had never had more than nine in one year. Most the deaths were domestic disputes or robberies. But there were 10 homicides the next year, and the numbers continued to rise, fueled by intense gang rivalries in the city.