Aurora, Colorado adding $10M in police funding to combat increased Tren de Aragua gang activity

10/02/2024 / By Laura Harris

City leaders in Aurora, Colorado, are proposing a $10 million increase in police funding to combat the rise in retail crime and gang activity associated with the entry of the Venezuelan crime gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) in the city.

In August, a video of armed members in an apartment complex building in Aurora with alleged links to TdA went viral. Democratic Gov. Jared Polis initially downplayed the video, claiming that conservatives are only exaggerating the issue.

“The governor has already let [Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman] know that the state is ready to support the local police department with assistance from state troopers and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation if needed,” said Shelby Wieman, a spokesperson for the Democratic governor. “But, according to police intelligence, this purported invasion is largely a feature of Danielle Jurinsky’s imagination.”

However, federal authorities later confirmed the involvement of TdA.

The proposal, which will raise the police budget from $155.7 million in 2024 to nearly $165 million in 2025, is designed to address persistent “understaffing issues” within the Aurora Police Department (APD) and tackle rising crime rates linked to the TdA.

“Right now, we are not at our full complement of officers,” Aurora Police Department Chief Todd Chamberlain said. “Our patrol is impacted by understaffing issues, and so that’s what I’m looking at right now. I want to be able to have our officers have a clear understanding of what they are responding to before they even get there. I want to see where our crimes are occurring, when they’re occurring and who they are occurring to.” (Related: Texas Gov. Abbott designates Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang as a foreign terrorist organization.)

Aurora also set to increase budget for public safety and services

The proposed 2025 budget, which is set to increase by a total of $125 million, also outlines higher spending for public safety and services.

For instance, the budget for the Aurora Fire Department is also set to increase from $89.5 million to $93 million. Another key component of the budget involves the office of the City Attorney, which will see an adjustment of about $220,000. A portion of this funding will be directed toward the creation of a new court system focused on homeless-related issues. The proposed “HEART” court will allow homeless individuals charged with non-violent, low-level municipal offenses to receive services and potentially close their cases.

The Office of the Public Defender will also see a modest increase of $54,000 as city officials prepare to shift domestic violence cases to county courts by May 2025 to reduce the public defender’s caseload. However, the office still needs to manage a backlog of cases before the transition.

Funding for homeless services, previously supported by marijuana tax dollars, will now be redirected to the new homeless navigation center of Aurora. The city purchased a former hotel in May for $26.5 million, with plans to transform it into a consolidated service hub for homeless residents, modeled after the Colorado Springs Rescue Mission.

However, the City Council will still review all the proposals during its upcoming fall budget workshop on Oct. 5, with an official vote on the budget scheduled for Oct. 28.

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Watch this clip about Chilean gangs returning to target luxury homes in Michigan after victimizing California neighborhoods.

This video is from the Justin Barclay channel on Brighteon.com.