Omaha cites asbestos at police HQ in push for new joint police-fire building

OMAHA, Neb. — Asbestos inside the Omaha Police Department headquarters is one of the reasons city officials are asking voters to approve a $155 million bond for a new joint police and fire headquarters.

Mike Oestmann with the mayor's office gave 3 News Now's Jeremy Fredricks a tour of the existing police headquarters near 15th and Howard in Downtown Omaha. Oestmann showed asbestos on the ceiling.

He said his worst fear is: “I will have to call the mayor, call the police chief, and say, ‘We have to evacuate the building because now we are in a hazardous facility.’”

Oestmann said frequent testing shows the asbestos is not spreading inside the building.

Omaha Police Officers Association President Patrick Dempsey said he has worked in the building for five years and has not been worried about his personal safety.

“Were you ever worried about your personal safety?” Fredricks asked.

“No, I was not,” Dempsey said.

The $155 million bond on the ballot would build a new joint Omaha police and fire headquarters at the Crossroads development near 72nd and Dodge, moving both departments out of their current Downtown Omaha buildings.

“Is it going to be cheaper to move to Crossroads than to redo this site?” Fredricks asked.

“Yes,” Oestmann said.

“By how much?” Fredricks asked.

“Well, it depends on the options because you have to have a place to move people. It’s hard to put a dollar to that,” Oestmann said.

Before the Crossroads location was finalized, Oestmann said the city considered building a three-story parking garage with office space above it downtown.

That option did not pan out, he said, because of the cost of building parking.

“The cost of parking garages are just crazy,” Oestmann said.

Fredricks asked whether building a three-story garage and office space and tearing down the existing headquarters would have cost more than the $155 million bond for the Crossroads project.

Oestmann said yes, “strictly just because of parking.”

Omaha voters will decide the fate of the bond next week.

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