Good
news on the crime front in Illinois’ second largest city.
There
were zero murders in Aurora in 2012. That hasn’t happened since 1946.
The
last murder in Aurora was in December of 2011. In the 1990s, Aurora averaged
one murder per month.
Police
Chief Greg Thomas acknowledged he’s surprised there were no murders in Aurora
last year. He said it’s the culmination of a long team effort, and the results
have been dramatic.
In
1996, Aurora had 357 shootings and 26 murders; last year, there were only 61
shootings, and no murders.
Thomas
credited a crackdown on gangs, assisted by federal authorities.
“If
you look at about 2005 to 2007, we took about 150 high-ranking gang members,
shooters off the streets in Aurora, with help from federal partnerships with
the ATF and FBI. I think that was a big contributor,” Thomas said.
Thomas
said there are no quick fixes for reducing the number of murders in any
community.
He
said, in addition to help from the community, and getting kids into
after-school programs and the Junior ROTC, there was a lot of work over a long
period of time from Aurora police and law enforcement from the state and
federal governments.
Thomas
said Aurora started focusing in 2005 on the worst of the repeat criminals and
getting them locked up in federal prisons. The police department also tried to
keep young people from joining gangs through it’s “Knock and Talk” program.
If
the police caught wind that a certain young person was trying to become
involved in a gang, police would talk to the young person’s parent and inform
them of the signs to watch for from their son or daughter.
Rev.
Pat McManus, pastor at Kingdom Impact Center, is one of several aurora
ministers who held prayer vigils at every murder scene in past years,
encouraging neighbors to fight back.
“We’re
all working together, doing the same thing, having the same focus to truly see
the city turn,” he said.
East
Aurora was once the center of much of the city’s gang and drug violence, but in
the neighborhoods, and the lively businesses, residents feel the change.
“I
believe my kids are in less danger,” one woman said.
“I
feel a lot safer,” one man said.
“I
think it should get out, you know? Come live in aurora, It’s a safe place,”
another man said.
Thomas
also credited use of the CompStat system, which uses crime statistics to focus
police resources on hot spots of activity. That same system is a key part of
Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy’s fight against gangs in Chicago.
Thomas
said, in addition to a host of crime-fighting and crime-prevention strategies,
luck also played a part in hitting that milestone.
You'd think with the success Aurora is having, the
largest city in Illinois might take notice, not at all. Instead the "Godfather"
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel sees only the opportunity to further his own agenda
of gun control. By examining the Chicago Police's own report on gun violence
it's clear to see Chicago does NOT have a gun problem, but has a HUGE gang
problem.
Aurora used the same type of data that Chicago uses to
address the cause of the it's gun violence and has gotten results that can't be
denied. Let's take a look at Chicago's data: Chicago
police portal.
Murder victims by race/ethnicity
2011
|
Murder offenders by race/ethnicity
2011
|
white
|
20
|
|
|
white
|
6
|
|
|
|
black
|
326
|
|
|
black
|
122
|
|
|
|
hispanic
|
82
|
|
|
hispanic
|
42
|
|
|
|
other
|
5
|
|
|
other
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Murder victims by age
group 2011
|
|
|
|
|
|
under 10yrs.
|
10-13yrs.
|
14-16yrs.
|
17-25yrs.
|
26-35yrs.
|
36-45yrs.
|
46-55yrs.
|
over 55yrs.
|
10
|
2
|
21
|
196
|
114
|
42
|
32
|
14
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Murder offenders by age
group 2011
|
|
|
|
|
under 10yrs.
|
10-13yrs.
|
14-16yrs.
|
17-25yrs.
|
26-35yrs.
|
36-45yrs.
|
46-55yrs.
|
over 55yrs.
|
0
|
0
|
7
|
91
|
45
|
14
|
10
|
4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Murder offers by sex
|
Murders caused by common
motives 2011
|
female
|
18
|
|
street gang altercation
|
118
|
|
|
male
|
153
|
|
gangland narcotics
|
26
|
|
|
|
|
|
armed robbery
|
|
32
|
|
|
|
|
|
domestic altercation
|
17
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Murder victims with prior
arrest history
|
|
|
|
|
No
|
100
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes
|
333
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Murder offenders with
prior arrest history
|
|
|
|
|
No
|
22
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes
|
151
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Looking at these numbers it's easy to see real patterns.
Most gun violence is black on black, is most likely gang related, and both the
victim and offender most likely have an arrest history, of course this is not
the case every time. If Chicago could address the most common causes of murders
in its city it could possibly see the same kind of results Aurora has achieved.
Aurora's results are not speculation but are real and measurable. My message to
Mayor Emanuel would be simply, "The definition of insanity is to repeat
the same actions over and over expecting a different result"