User:Smmurphy/Crime in Omaha, Nebraska



Crime in Omaha, Nebraska, as in much of the nation, peaked in the early 1990s. Since 1993, when Omaha's crime was featured in a Time Magazine article, A Boy and his Gun, rime rates have declined in line with national trends.

Crime related to drugs
Crack houses exist throughout North Omaha, while drugs are dealt and used throughout the entire city. West Omaha has a particularly heavily drug traffic usage rate.

Crime related to gangs
Three Latino men from out of town are killed in Northwest Omaha in an event that was described as execution style.

Crime related to gambling
Omaha has long been home to gambling rings focused on book making and other forms of illicit gambling.

Corporate crime
Fraud committed by business people.

Domestic violence and sex crimes
Prostitution exists in certain neighborhoods.

Neighborhood Watch
Neighborhood watch and take back the neighborhood programs are widespread and have found some success.

Missing persons, kidnapings and runaways
Omaha has been in the national news due to missing persons, including a young girl a couple years ago. This story had a happy ending, in contrast to some of the other missing persons in the national news around the same time. This event and the national movement has led Omaha to put up interstate signs which report missing children and the suspects information to passing vehicles, as a part of AMBER Alert.

Early crime
Omaha had an history as a "wide open town" where anything regarding prostitution, gambling, drugs and alcohol was acceptable. Early years of land grabs by the Omaha Claim Club were thwarted by the 1857 trial of Baker v. Morton, where the United States Supreme Court ruled that Omaha's land barons could not claim up large amounts of land in order to sell them at exorbitant costs, effectively stopping homesteading in the area. While the common practice ended, early attempts were fruitful: lots in one of the early plots were subdivided to form Scriptown, where Territorial legislators were awarded with land for keeping the controversial capital in Omaha.

On February 12, 1857, the city of Omaha was incorporated, three years after the village was laid out. On March 5 of that same year, J.A. Miller was appointed the City Marshall. In March 1866, the force was enlarged by the city council to four men. In 1884, Marshal Roger T. Guthrie was convicted and imprisoned for accepting a bribe.

In 1868, the position of "Police Judge" was created and John H. Sahler was appointed to fill that role. Later that same year, the City Council directed members of the force to provide themselves with "dark blue, single breasted coats, shirts and pants of the same material. They were required to have caps with a brass plate in the front marked City Police." Between 1869 and 1882 the size of the department fluctuated until it grew steadily from 14 officers starting in 1882.

The first recorded lynching of an African American in Omaha occurred in 1891, when George Smith, an African American worker who lived in Council Bluffs, was taken by a mob from the Omaha City jail for purportedly raping a "white" woman. There was no trial, and no one was convicted of a crime.

Tom Dennison's political machine
Early in the 1890s Omaha saw the arrival of Tom Dennison, a gambler and saloon-owner from Colorado and Montana. Almost immediately upon arriving in Omaha he assumed the role of political boss, taking control of all of the vice elements in the city. For more than 25 years, Dennison's power was great enough that no crime occurred in the city without his blessing, the police reported to him daily, and the mayor himself answered directly to him. The Dennison political machine ended in 1935, only after he died. Throughout his reign Dennison kept an office at the Budweiser Saloon in the Sporting District where many of his interests were consolidated.

Omaha race riot
On September 28, 1919, the Omaha Race Riot occurred, one of many race riots happening in many cities around the United States that year. The riot stemmed over allegations against 41 year old Will Brown, an African-American Omaha citizen, of raping 19 year old Agnes Loebeck, a white woman, at gunpoint. Brown was arrested and brought to the Douglas County Courthouse to face charges, however a white mob began to gather with the intent of taking out vigilante justice on Brown. Omaha Mayor Edward Smith was lynched while trying to prevent an angry crowd from taking Brown, although he ultimately survived the ordeal after being rescued by Omaha Police detectives Al Anderson, Charles Van Deusen, Lloyd Toland and Russell Norgard. Brown was surrendered to the mob under mysterious circumstances and was dragged out into the street and brutally lynched. His body riddled with bullets from the rioters while hanging in front of the Douglas County Courthouse in downtown Omaha and burned to near ashes. The Courthouse itself was gutted by fire as a result of the rioters' prior attempts to flush out Brown and the police officers attempting to protect him. After lynching Brown, the mob moved to a nearby police station to lynch black prisoners being held there. Fortunately for the prisoners, they were released by a police captain when word of Brown's lynching spread. Unable to control the situation, Omaha Police requested assistance from the United States Army, and by September 29, martial law was instituted and enforced by 1,700 soldiers from nearby Fort Omaha, Camp Funston (part of present day Fort Riley, Kansas) and Camp Dodge, Iowa. Although soldiers reported exchanging fire with rooftop snipers at the beginning of the deployment, no further loss of life occurred. Order was restored on September 29.

The Omaha Race Riot of 1919 has been attributed directly to Dennison's influence over the city, as his candidate for mayor was not elected that year and he was yearning to exact revenge upon the current mayor. Acting in collusion with the Omaha Bee, a sensationalist newspaper, Dennison worked the city's World War I veterans and others into a froth over an apparent increase in the number of rapes conducted by African American men. (Later investigations showed many of these were Dennison's white thugs dressed in black face.) When Omahan Will Brown was brought to the Douglas County Courthouse on such charges, a mob quickly formed. Eventually they overpowered the Omaha Police Department, captured the prisoner, beat, dragged, shot, lynched, dismembered and burnt him. This ended the mayorship of Dennison's opponent, and no one was ever convicted of any crime in the lynching.

Safety measures
In 1923, a separate motor force unit was created and "pill boxes" were installed throughout the city. Some pill boxes are in service as of 2005. That same year, the United States' first safety patrol was instituted in Omaha by the police department to address concerns over protecting children walking to and from school.

During the 1920s and 30s, an important location for the city's crime was Little Italy, where much of the city's bootleg liquor was manufactured and distributed during the Prohibition. Little Italy native Tony Biase was the "leading Mafioso in Omaha" from the Prohibition through the 1970s.

Police killings
Officer Larry Minard was killed on August 17, 1970 by a bomb placed by members of the Black Panther Party. The Omaha Police Department was heavily involved in the FBI's COINTELPRO operation, and using evidence from COINTELPRO, and from the confession of Duane Peak, Panthers David Rice (now known as Mondo we Langa) and Ed Poindexter were convicted for Minard's death and are currently serving life sentences. The guilt of the two has been questioned, and Amnesty International has released reports criticising the prosecutions actions in the Rice/Poindexter Case.

On August 21, 1995, 24 year old Omaha Police Officer Jimmy Wilson Jr. was shot to death by Kevin Allen, a member of the South Family Bloods street gang. Wilson initiated a traffic stop of Allen's van, when Allen opened the rear doors and opened fire with an SKS semiautomatic assault rifle. Wilson was found dead in his cruiser with his seatbelt still on and his radio in his hand. Allen was convicted of first degree murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony and was sentenced to life in prison. Wilson's death led to the creation (by his father, Jimmy Wilson Sr.) of the Jimmy Wilson Jr. Foundation, a non-profit organization which assisted area law-enforcement agencies with purchasing body armor and dashboard cameras for cruisers.

On September 11, 2003 30 year old Officer Jason Tye Pratt, pulled a vehicle over at 10:30 p.m. for speeding and erratic driving. The driver of the vehicle was 21 year old Albert Rucker, a fugitive wanted by police on two felony warrants and who had been recently featured on Omaha's version of a "Most Wanted" television show, Crimestoppers. Rucker had 141 arrests on his record by that time and was a gang member that went by the street name of "Twigs." When Rucker pulled over, he got out of his vehicle and fled the scene. The Officer who stopped Rucker pursued him on foot into a neighborhood. Pratt then assisted the other Officers at the scene searching for Rucker. While Pratt walked down the street towards a bush that Rucker was hiding behind, Rucker shot Pratt in the head, at close range with a 45 caliber handgun. Rucker then engaged backup Officer Frank Platt in a shootout in which he was mortally wounded by Platt. Rucker died four hours later in the hospital. Officer Pratt died 8 days later on September 19.

The incident gained national attention. On a visit to Omaha with Pratt's widow, Stacy, and his family, US Attorney General John Ashcroft stated "the justice system had failed Pratt and her two daughters" after it was learned that Rucker appeared before the same Douglas County District Judge, Sandra Dougherty, since 1999, who continuously lowered Rucker's bond each time appeared before her. Rucker was arrested in 1999 for a shooting and was apprehended wearing a bullet proof vest. His sentence, handed down by Dougherty, was three years probation.

Allegations of excessive force and controversies


Similar to many law enforcement agencies around the United States, Omaha Police has had their share of controversies, allegations of racially motivated excessive force, politicking and nepotism. Not all instances of officer shootings involving Omaha Police have involved white officers and minority suspects, however several incidents have led to strained relations between the department and the African-American community.

Marvin Ammons Shooting
During routine patrol on October 26, 1997, Officer Todd Sears shot and killed Marvin Ammons. Sears, a white police officer, thought Ammons, an African American Gulf War veteran, was reaching for a gun in his belt when he (Sears) drew his weapon and opened fire. Ammons was speaking on a cell phone when officers first observed him standing on a snow covered street with his car blocking the road.

A grand jury was called in accordance to Nebraska law which requires a grand jury investigate any death that occurs while a subject is in police custody. The grand jury indicted Sears on charges of manslaughter, however the indictment was thrown out due to juror misconduct. A second grand jury cleared Sears of all charges, however criticized Omaha Police in their handling of the incident, noting that (1)Ammons' cell phone was found in Sears' cruiser the day after the shooting; (2) drug and alcohol testing was not performed on the officers at the scene, including Sears, in accordance with policy; (3) Sears' cruiser was not impounded. A lawsuit against the City of Omaha and Sears was brought by the Ammons family but was later dropped. Sears left the department on a disability pension, claiming post traumatic stress disorder.

George Bibbins Shooting
On July 19, 2000, after a high speed chase involving a stolen Jeep, Officer Jerad Kruse shot and killed the driver, 46 year old George Bibbins. Kruse, a white officer, stated he observed Bibbins, an African-American citizen, reaching down after the Jeep was forced to a stop when he opened fire. Bibbins was found dead with a screwdriver in his hand.

The incident was investigated by a grand jury and Kruse was cleared of any wrongdoing, which led to outrage not only in the African-American community, but also among fellow African-American Omaha Police Officers. This incident, along with the Marvin Ammons shooting, led to a strained relationship between the department and the Omaha African-American community. Kruse, like Sears, also left the department with a disability pension.

Officer Tariq Al-Amin
At a memorial service for Albert Rucker (see Omaha Police history in this article), Bishop William Barlowe offered the family of Officer Jason Tye Pratt a check for $100 to add to the Pratt Family Assistance Fund in the name of Rucker's children. During the memorial service for Rucker, Barlowe said, "We have two sets of kids who will be aligned forever because of this incident."

Omaha Police Officer Tariq Al-Amin, while hosting the cable access television show Protecting the Village, angrily reacted, stating "This would be my gift to the Rucker children," while brandishing a straight razor. "When you get old enough, come get it and cut Barlowe's throat for doing something like that in your name."

After the program was reviewed by Police Chief Thomas Warren, he terminated Al-Amin with the justification that Al-Amin threatened Barlowe. Al-Amin, citing his First Amendment rights appealed to the City Personnel Board, and with backing and support of the Omaha Chapter of the NAACP, the Coalition Against Injustice, Black Men United, and Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network. Al-Amin was reinstated by the personnel board on February 26, 2004. Al-Amin was given the maximum suspension without pay allowed by the contract with the police union. He also was required to publicly apologize before being allowed to return to work. Al-Amin has since retired.

Sergeant Kevin Housh
In an article published in The Shield, the Omaha Police Union Newsletter, regarding a dispute between Mayor Mike Fahey and Chief Warren regarding recording police response times, Union Treasurer and Police Sergeant Kevin Housh wrote "(It is) backpedaling by the mayor's office. It's embarrassing quite truthfully. A bunch of grown men and women, supposedly leaders, acting like petty criminals trying to conceal some kind of crime." He further wrote "Quite simply they are lying to you and insulting your intelligence at the same time." After a review of his comments, Chief Warren terminated Housh, saying his statements were "inflammatory, derogatory and inaccurate." Warren further stated "the statements represented gross disrespect and insubordination and were in violation of Omaha Police Department policies and procedures."

Housh appealed his termination to the City Personnel Board and filed a lawsuit against Warren, Mayor Mike Fahey, and the City of Omaha in U.S. District Court alleging a violation of his First Amendment rights. Many Omaha Police Officers supported Housh, along with the Police Union, feeling his editorial was correct and that the decision to terminate him was politically motivated. Before the case reached the City Personnel Board or Federal Court, Housh reached an agreement with Warren. Housh was allowed to get his job back and was given a suspension without pay and also had to publicly apologize. Housh, a married father of five, agreed, stating he had to do what was best for his family. Housh was reinstated on May 1, 2005, 10 days before the Omaha Mayoral Election.

Racial tension
Long the location of racial tension, Omaha recently re-emerged in headlines when a local grocery store was firebombed by racists. On February 18, 2007 unknown assailants robbed, firebombed, and spray painted a racial slur on the side of Bob's Market in East Omaha. A long-time community institution, Bob's has been owned by an Ethiopian immigrant for several years. There are reports that this is not the first time the store has been targeted by terrorism. The store owner escaped bound and gagged before the building exploded and was uninjured; the blast and following fire destroyed the building. Police are investigating.

Omaha's history of racial tension extends at least to 1891, when a large white mob lynched an African American named George Smith for "leering at a white woman." This event was reinforced by the psychological effect of a second lynching of Willy Brown, a black man, in 1919, which after the intervention of the National Guard ensured the normalcy of informal racial segregation throughout the city.

In the first part of the 20th century, after a police office caught an older Greek man being intimate with an older teenage "American" girl in February 1904, an anti-Greek mob terrorized "Greek Town", an enclave of South Omaha. After beating, looting and rioting through the community the terrorists forced the entire population of hundreds of Greek immigrants to leave the city within one day.

This racial tension parallels the 1960s race riots in North Omaha, activities leading to the Rice/Poindexter Case and ongoing gang violence affecting the entire city from the 1980s to present.

Race Riots
The Omaha Race Riot of 1919 occurred after a black man named Will Brown was arrested and accused of raping a white woman. A mob formed and removed him from the Douglas County Jail, on the top floor of the County Courthouse. Brown was hanged from the lamppost on the south side of the courthouse, his body was dismembered, burned and dragged through the streets by a crowd of European-born immigrants and European Americans. The mayor attempted to intervene and was hanged himself; he survived only in a last minute rescue by federal agents. The city courthouse was set on fire and seriously damaged. This incident was dramatized by playwright Max Spaber and produced by the Blue Barn Theatre in 1998 at the Douglas County Courthouse, the site of the riot.

Crime reduction
Crime Stoppers and Mad Dads.