Aurora Garden Destroyed in Three-Hour Police Wait

Aurora residents waited more than three hours for police to arrive at a community garden in August while a man destroyed property and threw rocks. Newly obtained 911 calls show dispatchers repeatedly told callers that no officers were available to send. The incident occurred on Aug. 8 near East 16th Avenue and Yosemite Street.

Mathew King, who placed multiple calls from the Denver Urban Gardens site, reported that the individual was "being destructive and throwing rocks." He described the damage as costing thousands of dollars. A dispatcher told King, "We don’t have an officer to send. As soon as we do, we’ll get them headed that way." The first police unit arrived around 4 p.m., roughly three hours after the initial call came in shortly before 1 p.m.

The city maintains the call was correctly classified as Priority 3, which covers disturbances and property crimes with low personal threat. Aurora Police and Aurora911 agreed the response aligned with established guidelines. The department cited a high volume of Priority 1 and 2 calls during that afternoon. Between 1 and 4 p.m. on Aug. 8, there were 11 Priority 1 calls and 15 Priority 2 calls across the city.

Aurora Police do not track response times for Priority 3 calls. A city spokesperson explained that these calls often involve non-urgent issues where engagement can span minutes, hours, or days. However, Mayor Pro Tem Alison Coombs questioned whether crimes in progress should receive that classification. She said the incident revealed a policy gap that council needs to investigate.

Coomb's concerns contributed to a push for more alternative response capacity. The city received preliminary council approval for a fourth Aurora Mobile Response Team in the proposed 2027 budget. The new unit would cost approximately $243,000 and pair a mental health professional with an EMT or paramedic. Coombs believes this team could have assessed the garden situation, while Aurora Police stated it would not have changed the outcome.

The man arrested for the garden damage and other crimes remains in Adams County Jail. He is scheduled for a court review hearing on Thursday. City Council will vote on the final budget, which includes funding for the new mobile response team, on Nov. 9 and Nov. 23.