Aurora is looking at a new ordinance designed to cut down on fleeing and eluding situations while having fewer police chases.
The ordinance would seek to allow the Aurora Police Department to charge the registered owner of a vehicle with fleeing and eluding a police officer in cases where police are unable to stop the driver of a vehicle.
“The risk-reward isn’t there to chase,” Aurora Police Officer Chris Arbet told aldermen at Tuesday night’s City Council Committee of the Whole meeting.
In recent years, incidents of people fleeing and eluding police have increased greatly in the city, officials said. In the past five years, the number of incidents increased steadily from 73 incidents in 2018 to 126 incidents in 2023.
According to Nydia Molina, assistant corporation counsel for the city, that has resulted in more police time and resources responding to and investigating the incidents.
Police spend hours reviewing video, preparing police reports, conducting interviews and conducting internal administrative reviews after such incidents, often with no arrests made because police are unable to identify the driver.
She added that if police pursue the fleeing vehicles, it can lead to “dangerous situations” on the streets.
Arbet said police have had drag racing situations where cars congregate in secluded or industrial areas, and when police approach, the drivers flee. Often drivers come from as far as Chicago, and police have trouble tracking them down, Arbet said.
With the proposed new ordinance, police could read the license plates and find the registered owner, then issue them a fine that would be adjudicated through the local ordinance court. A first offense would be $1,000, increasing by $1,000 for each subsequent offense.
Officials said they would want to pressure the owners to bring in whoever was driving the car.
“We’re hoping that by finding the owners, it would reduce the times they let someone take the car,” Arbet said. “That’s the plan.”
Molina said Naperville has a similar ordinance.
Aldermen put the proposal on unfinished business for next week’s regular City Council meeting.
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