By Jason Crane
At the Aurora city government Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday, through the Zoom video conference platform, the City Council gave consent to nearly three-quarters of a million dollars for a critical incident intelligence center at the Aurora Police Department (APD).
City of Aurora government documents show the city government is looking to invest in a new real-time critical intelligence incident center, hereinafter referred to as The Center to more effectively deploy and utilize police resources.
The money is set to be used for renovation of existing office space at the Aurora Police Department, and for the purchase and installation of the equipment necessary to accommodate The Center for an amount not to exceed $747,342.92 including contingencies.
In January 2019, the APD established a new real-time crime center to utilize a wide and expanding range of smart technologies for efficient and effective policing. In order to effectively accomplish this mission, physical changes to the existing office space, enhanced workspaces and smart technologies are needed.
The Center was developed to serve as both a hub of information within the department, and as a real-time crime center. The Center gathers, reviews and disseminates the following information within the department: Crime tips, crime trends and statistics, crime and terrorism bulletins from various federal/state/local law enforcement agencies and social media information.
The Center serves as a point of contact for outside law enforcement agencies who need to refer or pass along information about criminal activity occurring in Aurora and assists them in identifying and finding residents of Aurora who are suspects in incidents that occurred in their jurisdictions.
The Center monitors hundreds of cameras that cover various intersections throughout the City including cameras that monitor the City’s key infrastructure including water and sewer, Fire Station 8, City Hall, APD, the City’s Development Services Building, downtown parking facilities, RiverEdge Park, commuter parking, water treatment and storage facilities.
The Center has access to camera systems at many non-government facilities throughout the City such as malls, schools, housing authority, apartment complexes, gas stations, and private residences who voluntarily allow the police access. The Center has the ability to monitor police drone video, when they are being used.
The ability to live monitor these cameras has helped in directing officer’s response efforts to crimes and crashes that have just occurred and/or are in progress.
The Center would integrate the ability to live view body camera footage as the body camera program rolls out, as another means to direct the response of officers, to active incidents such as the Henry Pratt shooting and other active situations.
The Aurora Police Department modernization including the addition of the video wall would enhance the Department’s ability to monitor these cameras and to help guide the Department’s response to incidents throughout the City.
• Consent was given to a resolution establishing the maximum number of Class D: Fox Valley Entertainment District licenses, with Self-Service, Strolling and Package Sales Endorsements, (unofficially related to the application from Final Stretch Events, LLC d/b/a Tapville Social – Fox Valley, at the Fox Valley Mall.
Final Stretch Events, LLC, d/b/a Tapville Social – Fox Valley, has submitted a liquor license application for the purposes of opening a business concept that is new to the city of Aurora. Tapville Social – Fox Valley proposes to open a self-service kiosk in the Fox Valley Mall that will allow patrons to walk freely around the Fox Valley Mall with their purchased beverage.
To qualify for a Strolling Endorsement and a Self-Service Endorsement, a business must be in a licensed entertainment district, in this instance, the Fox Valley Entertainment District. Tapville Social – Fox Valley is inside the Fox Valley Mall and they wish to offer alcohol for sale for consumption on-site, giving customers the ability to walk and consume their beverages within the mall.
After an identification check, customers will be provided with a Tapville Social – Fox Valley wristband and beer, wine, or cider will be dispensed in a cup that specifically identifies Tapville Social – Fox Valley as the source of the beverage. Staff will continuously monitor all customers as they operate the self-service dispensers, and, if necessary, customer access to the dispensers can be automatically deactivated.
While customers will only be able to purchase one drink at a time, and will be allowed to purchase a limited, cumulative amount of alcohol, staff will be trained to guard against underage service as well as over-service. Video monitoring of the devices will be in place when the establishment is open to the public. Patrons will not be allowed to exit the Fox Valley Mall with an open alcoholic beverage.
• Consent was given to a resolution authorizing execution of a rollover agreement between the city government of Aurora and Aurora Fire Officers Association for the period of January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021.
Aurora Fire Officers Association’s collective bargaining agreement expired December 31, 2020.
In consideration of the uncertainties still looming due to the pandemic, the parties agreed to a one-year rollover which was ratified by the union February 25. Notable terms include a 2% wage increase, an employee insurance contribution increase to 16.5% and a $250 increase to the high deductible health plan employer contribution.
• Final approval for items on the consent agenda are set to be made at the March 9 Aurora City Council meeting.