By Al Benson
“Aurora’s police department is not going out of business.”
Deputy Chief Steven Stemmet made the comment as guest speaker at the January 13 Citizen Police Academy Alumni of Aurora monthly membership meeting at APD headquarters. Stemmet filled in for Police chief Matt Thomas who was unable to attend.
Stemmet referred to Aurora’s 2026 budget which reduced the department’s budget by 35 positions. Cuts included nine sworn officers and 19 support staff, $800,000 for overtime, $400,000 for training and the cadet program handled through attrition.
While 35 positions were removed from the budget, only one person was actually laid off, as the rest were vacant or handled via attrition. Despite cuts, the department’s overall budget is $7.1 million higher than 2025. Mayor John Laesch and police leadership indicated the cuts were necessary to address a structural deficit but maintained that essential services and emergency response times will not be compromised.
With exceptions, Stemmet said, crimes against people were generally down compared to 2024. Exceptions were murders, four in 2025, 1 in 2024; aggravated assaults, 253 in 2024, 261 in 2025; and one human trafficking offense in 2024 compared to three in 2025.
In other categories, simple assaults dropped from 2,201 to 1,925; sex offenses fell from 178 to 148, kidnappings dropped from 39 to 33 and intimidations were down from 206 to 187.
CPAAA is a volunteer nonprofit that promotes and enhances the relationship between the community and APD through continuing law enforcement education of members and the community. Projects are designed to strengthen services provided by APD. Membership meetings are held on the second Tuesday evening of the month at APD headquarters. Visit cpaaa.net for more information.