DOMESTIC VIOLENCE UNIT
The Aurora Police Department is one of only a very few major city agencies that does not have a dedicated unit focused on investigating and preventing domestic violence related crimes. Since his arrival in 2015, Chief Metz has been diligently working at trying to get funding and establish a domestic violence unit that can better serve the residents of Aurora.
Some of the reasonings that prompted Chief Metz and the Aurora PD to pursue creating a Domestic Violence Unit are:
• On average, APD responds to 6700 Domestic Violence related calls for service per year.
• Over the last 4 years, APD has responded to double the number of Domestic Violence (DV) incidents, and more than three times as many Felony DV Aggravated Assaults, as compared to prior years. Sadly, this has included several DV related murders over the last four years...including three in the last couple months. It is hoped that having a specialized process will give those who are victims of abuse the courage and confidence to report violence.
• Domestic Violence is one of the most underreported crimes. When a reported crime of an aggravated DV assault or murder occur, it is rare that it is the first-time violence has occurred in the home. Sadly, in many of those murder cases, it is believed the victim endured multiple unreported assaults by the suspect. Again, our goal would be to help give victims the courage to report and follow-through to prosecution, thus minimizing repeat calls and escalation of violence.
• Domestic violence crosses all economic, racial, sexual orientation, and cultural categories. It is often a cyclical crime that if not addressed appropriately can repeat itself at the hands of children who witness such ongoing violence in their own families.
• Domestic violence calls are one of the leading causes of assaults and murders against law enforcement officers throughout the country. In fact, since the beginning of the year, five officers around the country were murdered responding to DV / familial related calls. The number of officers seriously wounded while responding to DV related calls, as well as OIS incidents is staggering. Such an incident involved one of our own last year.
• A specialized DV unit would be able to help identify those addresses that patrol officers should approach with extreme caution based on information that may come out post-patrol response. And again, hopefully reduce repeat incidents and escalation.
We want to ensure that APD is doing everything it can to truly serve and protect victims of family violence. The goal will be to have the DV Unit fully functional and operational no later than January 1, 2021. In the meantime, patrol officers and district detectives will continue to respond and investigate these crimes. If you are, or know someone that is, a victim of domestic violence, we are here to help and have resources that we can provide. You can reach out Dispatch Center at 303-627-3100 or by calling 911. You can also follow this link for a list of resources that are available: http://bit.ly/2lvcip3