OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Will your neighborhood be less safe starting March 1st?
That's the assertion from the Omaha Police Officers Association. In a Facebook post Friday, the union described a 'crisis' and dangerously low staffing, which, the group says, puts officers and families at risk.
Leadership within Omaha Police says despite an ongoing staffing shortage across the department there is no reason to worry and that there will be adequate coverage in all areas of the city.
The concerns coming as the department approaches its March "shift change".
This is when officers bid for the shift and area they want to work in.
"We have kind of a unique situation where we have a class of recruits that won't technically be done with training until April 4, so we have kind of a month to play with," said Executive Deputy Chief Scott Gray.
Those recruits bid with the other officers, leaving some crews short for that period. But Gray says there is a plan in place and staffing has not changed since the last shift change in September.
"We are going to use some reallocation of staffing and maybe some overtime to fill some spots but, by April 4 everybody is going to be settled into their places," Gray said.
"We have been using overtime to supplement our staffing for several years now at some point in time those officers are going to burn out," said Patrick Dempsey, president of the Omaha Police Officers Association.
Dempsey says OPD Chief Todd Schmaderer met with him Wednesday to discuss the plan, he says it went well, but that the union's Facebook post Friday reflects some officers frustration.
"We have upheld the bargain that we want to be a safe city and that comes on the backs of the hardworking men and women of our uniform patrol bureau, but when we see fewer and fewer officers, on the streets, it makes it difficult for us," Dempsey said.
Full strength for the department is 906.
Right now there are 814 officers but that includes 37 recruits still in the academy.
"We can't hire our way out of this, we have to find ways to retain that qualified experience that we have here," Dempsey said.
"We feel like we are doing appropriate management controls to make sure that proper coverage is out there, citizens are safe and our officers are safe," Gray said.
OPD says additional resources like the real-time operations center, the drone first responder program and the telephone report unit are helping to divert about 15-hundred calls a month that normally would require an officer to check out.
