Police Department officer recruitment efforts paying off
By Tori Mason
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AURORA, Colorado (KCNC) — Law enforcement retention and recruitment is struggling nationwide. But lately, interest in becoming an Aurora police officer has grown. The Aurora Police Department said its latest hires are filling much-needed vacancies and keeping the community safer.
The department hired 50 people from its latest class. They had over 650 applicants.
“These last few academies have been the biggest we’ve had in years,” said Aurora Police Captain Justin Shipley. “That’s a good problem to have. When we have that many people, we can be very selective.”
On April 3, officers responded to two back-to-back overnight burglary calls and arrested both suspects within minutes of each other. Many of the officers involved were recent graduates of Aurora Police Recruit Class 2024-1B.
According to APD, the first burglary call came in around 3:30 a.m. at a business in the 4200 block of South Chambers Way. Officers used security footage to identify the suspect, 55-year-old Kevin Jowers, and located him nearby. He was arrested for third-degree burglary.
While District 3 officers wrapped up that case, officers in District 2 were investigating a break-in at a vacant apartment near South Dearborn Street. Just after 4:15 a.m., they located the suspect, 26-year-old Andrey McKinley Bolton of Denver, and chased him on foot before taking him into custody. He faces charges of criminal mischief, obstructing a peace officer, and first-degree trespass of a dwelling.
“When you’re a newer officer, you usually get stuck on weekend night shifts, and that was the case here,” he said. “You’re seeing that because of these larger classes, we’re now able to staff patrol more, so our response times are down. Officers can spend more time on calls because there’s not such a call load.”
That’s been a welcome shift for business owners, who have been asking for faster responses.
“To that business owner, it is the most important thing in their life—and that’s how we treat those calls,” said Shipley.
Shipley said catching a burglary suspect might not seem like a big deal to some, “but those crimes affect the community. That helps with the community, because when something like that happens next door and gets around on social media, that puts people on edge.”
Shipley said the new officers bring energy, enthusiasm, and a willingness to learn. The department continues to push recruitment and is actively hiring. More officers, Shipley said, means better staffing, lower stress, and more work-life balance for the entire team.
“They’re like sponges,” he said. “There’s a lot to being a police officer, more than maybe what you watch on TV… but they absorb all that, and they’re excited to get out here.”
For information on how to join Aurora PD, visit JoinAuroraPD.com.
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