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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives wish to congratulate the citizens and | ||||||
| 4 | officials of the City of Aurora for having a zero murder rate | ||||||
| 5 | during the 2012 calendar year; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, The City of Aurora has not had a full calendar | ||||||
| 7 | year without a recorded murder since 1946, when Aurora's | ||||||
| 8 | population was about 48,000 people; the presence of a | ||||||
| 9 | world-class police force that works with community groups, city | ||||||
| 10 | leaders, and law enforcement agencies has led to a significant | ||||||
| 11 | decline in major crime rates over the past decade, even as the | ||||||
| 12 | city's population grew to 199,672, making it Illinois' second | ||||||
| 13 | largest city; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, In an effort to combat gang violence, the City of | ||||||
| 15 | Aurora has established many community partnerships with | ||||||
| 16 | neighborhood groups and community organizations to discuss | ||||||
| 17 | what could be done to reduce crime; these partnerships have | ||||||
| 18 | resulted in more engaged residents that are more apt to report | ||||||
| 19 | suspicious activity to police and, as a result, a greater | ||||||
| 20 | number of arrests and prosecutions in the city; the Aurora | ||||||
| 21 | Police Department has also gained assistance from the FBI, the | ||||||
| 22 | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and other | ||||||
| 23 | federal agencies to conduct RICO investigations into drug and | ||||||
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| 1 | weapons cases, resulting in federal charges that have put more | ||||||
| 2 | than 130 gang members behind bars; and
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| 3 | WHEREAS, Leaders, community groups, and taxpayers in the | ||||||
| 4 | City of Aurora have supported initiatives that have resulted in | ||||||
| 5 | the investment of millions of dollars in the Aurora Police | ||||||
| 6 | Department and have given Aurora police officers the advanced | ||||||
| 7 | tools and technology they needed to fight crime in the 21st | ||||||
| 8 | century, including a new state-of-the-art police headquarters; | ||||||
| 9 | additionally, all city government employees have been | ||||||
| 10 | challenged to find ways to support the city-wide goal of | ||||||
| 11 | reducing crime, from removing graffiti and fixing broken | ||||||
| 12 | streetlights during working hours to reporting suspicious | ||||||
| 13 | activity and broken windows; all City departments now work in | ||||||
| 14 | tandem to keep crime down in the city; and
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| 15 | WHEREAS, This concerted effort by citizens, elected | ||||||
| 16 | officials, and law enforcement to fight crime in Aurora is | ||||||
| 17 | worthy of the greatest respect and serves as a model for other | ||||||
| 18 | communities; therefore, be it
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| 19 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 20 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 21 | we congratulate the citizens and officials of the City of | ||||||
| 22 | Aurora for having a zero murder rate during the 2012 calendar | ||||||
| 23 | year and wish them continued success in their law enforcement | ||||||
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| 1 | efforts in the future; and be it further
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| 2 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 3 | presented to the City of Aurora as a symbol of our esteem and | ||||||
| 4 | respect.
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