Aurora will spend nearly 10% of its COVID-19 recovery funds from the American Rescue Plan Act on bonuses for police officers.

Every uniformed officer with the Aurora Police Department is set to receive $8,000 in bonuses in 2022 – totaling $6 million to be spent from the city’s $65 million in federal funds. The bonuses will be distributed as $4,000 in April and $4,000 in October.

The City Council approved the bonuses Monday in a 6-4 vote split along party lines, with the council’s new right-leaning majority taking the victory. The politicization of the vote was not lost on council members.

“What this looks like is that folks think the ARPA dollars are a piggy bank for their own political goals,” said Councilwoman Alison Coombs, who voted against the bonuses. “Although we have flexibility with the ARPA funds because of the revenue replacement, it still was intended for COVID impacts and the police actually are not the most exposed staff members to COVID.”

Coombs and other opponents argued that the bonuses are a poor use of the federal recovery funds, while supporters said the city needs to take action to help retain its police force.

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More than 100 officers have left the Aurora Police Department in 2021 and 87 officers left in 2020, according to the department. The agency has since refilled all but 24 of its 744 budgeted positions, with 31 new officers still in training.

The bonuses also come as crime has steadily risen in the city over the past five years, with violent crime up 55% from 2017 to 2021 and property crime up 127%, according to police data. Most recently, the city was rocked by three mass shootings last month.

“I have heard from my constituents for the past two years constantly about the escalating crime. It is so out of control,” said Councilwoman Françoise Bergan. “Our No. 1 priority is public safety and we have a responsibility to our residents to make sure that they are safe.”

The $8,000 bonuses will add to the $2,000 bonus that all Aurora civil service employees are scheduled to get in 2022. This means police officers will receive bonuses five times larger than any other city employee, including other first responders like firefighters and paramedics.

While the bonuses might raise morale for police officers, opponents said, the inequality could lower morale for all other city workers.

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“You talk about public safety but then when you talk about firefighters … you’re going to say now that you don’t deserve as much as the others?” said Councilman Ruben Medina, a former firefighter. “What happens when (firefighters) start exiting? … If you think that they’re not thinking that, you’re mistaken. I can guarantee that.”

Other concerns against the bonuses included that there are no provisions to stop officers from quitting immediately after receiving the money and that they don’t address underlying issues causing officers to leave. Supporters said the bonuses are the first step in a larger, upcoming retention strategy.

Council members Bergan, Curtis Gardner, Steve Sundberg, Angela Lawson, Danielle Jurinsky and Dustin Zvonek voted in support of the bonuses and council members Coombs, Medina, Juan Marcano and Crystal Murillo voted against them.

Monday was the City Council’s first full meeting with the newly elected council members, after last month’s election pushed the previously even split council to a Republican majority, with six of the 10 members leaning right.

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