OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Things are improving, but there's still work left to do. That's police chief Todd Schmaderer's message for Omaha 360 and the city.
"In general, if you keep the shooting number down, you have a good chance of keeping those homicide numbers down...and that's what you're seeing in 2018," says Schmaderer.
He had numbers to back it up. There are 21 murders in Omaha in 2018. If the numbers stays near that it would be the fewest killings per capita in 20 years.
It's also easily the lowest total amount in the last five years.
The number of shootings and complaints against police are also down this year.
As for why, Schmaderer pointed to groups like Omaha 360. He says their work in the community with police is helping bring down violent crime.
"The relationships that the police department are intentionally building with our students in our community is having a major impact on how things work and how we can continue to get those numbers to decrease," says Ricky Smith, director of Omaha 360.
Schmaderer said the last piece of the puzzle is bringing the number of minorities in the juvenile justice system more in line with the rest of the population of the city.
Ricky Smith with Omaha 360 says encouraging kids to enter law enforcement could help bring those numbers where they need to be.
"Let's look at being a police officer, let's look at joining the fire department because those are ways where you can be visible in our community and give so much back,” says Smith.
