If Aurora Police Department Cmdr. Kristen Ziman wants to impress anything upon residents it’s to “call, call, call” if they see anything unusual in their neighborhood.
Call 911. Report what you see, Ziman said.
“We have to make it very difficult for criminals to operate in this community,” Ziman said. “The problem we’ve seen over the years is apathy.”
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On Monday night, Aurora police held the first of three forums they will host to discuss the recent spike in shootings throughout the city since January – 44 shootings to be exact.
Area 3 residents were invited to Monday’s forum. That area focuses on the city’s far East Side and has had two shootings in each 2013 and 2014. So far this year, it has been the location of five.
The spike has residents on edge.
“What’s causing this all of a sudden?” an elderly woman raised her hand and asked. “Every day I pick up The Beacon and there’s another shooting.”
Members of the Aurora Police Department’s Special Operations Group, which handles gang crime and activity, said the rise in shootings could be for a number of reasons.
“We’ve seen a lot of influx with younger members who feel the need to prove themselves, violently,” Investigator Bryan Hammond said. “A lot of it also stems from personal conflicts.”
Something as simple as looking at a rival gang member’s girlfriend the wrong way could trigger a shooting war, he said.
Officer Mike Townsend, who works with the department’s Community Policing Unit, said it’s up to the police and the residents to work together to curb the violence.
“Report anything that is suspicious to you,” he said. “We can’t do anything about (a situation) if we don’t know about it…You’re the best police in your own neighborhoods. You know what’s normal and what’s not.”
A good portion of police investigations hinge on witness testimony. This testimony is often hard to gather, Ziman said.
“We’re kind of at an interesting time right now,” she said. “We find a lot of people sitting behind computer screens but not getting out and talking to neighbors.”
Residents will turn to Facebook if they hear shots fired and ask others if they’ve heard the sounds. If they see a suspicious vehicle, they’ll turn to online community-based groups to post their observations.
Police said these reports should be coming in to 911 instead.
“Call 911, then post it to Facebook,” Ziman said.
Social media can be a huge asset for both residents and police in terms of disseminating information, but it shouldn’t be the first line of communication, she said.
Ziman saw one of the benefits of social media recently which triggered the idea to hold the community forums. Residents were posting on Facebook that they were frustrated with what has been happening throughout the city as far as the rise in shootings.
Based on that, Ziman wanted to bring residents together with police to discuss the facts and what can be done to stop the violence.
“There comes a tipping point where we all become involved and it becomes uncomfortable for criminals to commit crime in our community,” she said.
That starts with residents being vigilant and calling 911, she said.
“We have to figure out a way to break through whatever mental block there is that prevents people from calling,” she said. “We’re looking for people to rise up in their own neighborhoods.”
Near East Side residents are invited to attend the police forum on April 20. Residents living on the city’s West Side and downtown are invited to attend on April 27. All meetings are held at the Aurora Police Department, 1200 East Indian Trail, from 7 to 9 p.m.
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