Lights on, crime off is the hope in Aurora
The City of Lights is about to become even brighter.
A group of Aurora residents has launched a "Lighten Up" campaign to encourage neighbors to keep energy-efficient lights on overnight to help reduce crime.
Studies show similar efforts in other towns have resulted in 50 percent to 70 percent reductions in crime, organizer Dee Hakala said.
City aldermen this week pledged support for the 2-year campaign, which is sponsored by the Georgetown Relief Efforts Neighborhood Organization.
Hakala founded GRENO for residents to combat crime in her neighborhood on the city's far east side after her son was robbed at gunpoint for 85 cents and a piece of gum. Their subdivision had no official homeowners association.
The group has partnered with several media outlets and numerous area hardware stores to offer 50-percent-off deals on lighting.
They're taking an "in-your-face approach," Hakala said, and want to involve everyone, including community and neighborhood groups, businesses and schools. A grant will provide energy-efficient bulbs for low-income people.
Throughout the campaign, police will hold public forums on using proper lighting, and aldermen may hold "Lights on, crime out" events in their own wards.
Organizers plan to track whether crime drops, with a final report presented in late 2008.
Some numbers already show a decline. After bright white street lighting was installed in one part of Aurora, crime noticeably decreased, leaders say.
In the first six months of 2006, before the lighting was added, police handled 15 suspicious vehicle reports, 14 accident reports, seven weapon reports and nine drug reports in that area.
After the lights were introduced in 2007, police in the first six months handled eight suspicious vehicles reports, six accident reports, four weapon reports and six drug reports.
Hakala said her group's initiative is the largest yet and can be used as a model for other towns.
Though some have raised concerns about costs, GRENO board member Kris Harvey said a family keeping a regular 100-watt bulb on all night every night would spend about $26 more a year. Energy-efficient lighting, meanwhile, may cost a few more dollars up front but will only add an extra $10 a year, she said.
Jeff Burdick, a spokesman for ComEd, which isn't a project partner, provided similar estimates. Keeping a 100-watt porch light on all night could cost about $38 a year, he said. Using an energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulb costs less than $10.
"Leaving lights on isn't costly if you do it in an energy-efficient way," Hakala said. "It's a small price to pay to deter crime."
And the money's a "drop in the bucket" compared to what happens if you're robbed, she said.
Visit www.greno.org for details and store locations.