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Aurora police report recruiting gains, reassign officers to homeless outreach as academy classes continue
Summary
At a city council meeting, Aurora Police leaders described recent recruiting and training gains, a new lateral "fast track" for experienced officers, and plans to reassign additional staff to a homeless outreach unit as part of a broader strategy to reduce calls for service.
Aurora Police leaders told the City Council that recent academy classes, a new lateral fast-track hiring pathway and shifting patrol assignments will produce a net staffing gain and let the department expand a dedicated homeless outreach unit.
“We're in a really good spot,” the Police Chief said, summarizing recruiting changes that city staff said have already produced several new officers and a pipeline of laterals. The chief said the department expects a net gain of 38 sworn officers in 2025 even while contending with normal turnover.
The department outlined recent training and hiring figures at the meeting. One academy started with 50 cadets and ended with 41; another began with 28 and is at 26. A third class will start in September but had no final size when the department reported to council. The police department also described a redesigned lateral hiring process labeled a “lateral fast track.” Staff said the online posting had about 500 hits and seven candidates were in the pipeline for lateral hires.
Why it matters: staffing levels and assignment decisions shape how quickly officers respond to high-priority calls and how the department addresses recurring quality-of-life problems. Council members had asked for the data during the public safety briefing.
Department leaders said they plan modest reassignments of sworn officers to “homeless outreach” roles. The chief described increases to the outreach team since last year — raising the unit from two officers to four, and now adding two more officers plus a sergeant — to support work tied to the city’s Navigation campus and the Day Resource Center. The chief credited the outreach and proactive teams with a reported decline in some calls for service because those teams now handle trespassing, vagrancy and related complaints that previously required patrol responses.
Council members pressed for additional information about the origin of lateral candidates and asked staff to return with demographic and geographic breakdowns of applicants. The chief said most hits appear to be internal applications but staff would analyze the data and report back.
Clarifying details compiled at the meeting included: projected 2025 attrition of about 11% (7% year to date); a net projected gain of 38 sworn officers for 2025; academy class sizes (50→41; 28→26); and seven lateral candidates in process. The department said it will continue to assign officers who finish field training to patrol but will also increase staffing of proactive units and the homeless outreach team.
The meeting included requests from council members for monthly updates about staffing and for more granular demographic information on applicants. The police chief said staff would provide those reports to council.
