In the same week researchers at the University of Colorado concluded that fewer police mean more crime on the streets, elected leaders in Aurora gave their cops more tools — in the form of stiffer penalties — to rein in lawbreakers.
Granted, the findings released by CU-Boulder didn’t exactly amount to a stunner. More like common sense, really. As reported by The Denver Gazette, the study examined 78 Denver neighborhoods and found that after police had scaled back their presence following the May 2020 George Floyd murder and the COVID-19 pandemic, on average, property and violent crime reports increased 27.1% and 14.3%, respectively, across Denver. Enough said.
Meanwhile, as The Gazette also reported this week, Aurora’s City Council stepped up the penalties for retail theft as well as for dining and dashing in Colorado’s No. 3 city.
A law adopted by the council in 2023 had set a three-day minimum mandatory jail sentence for theft of merchandise worth $300 or more. On Monday, the council lowered that threshold to $100 in stolen goods. And repeat offenders in Aurora now will face at least 90 days in jail. The minimum sentence rises to 180 days for someone convicted of retail theft at least twice.