- OPD report details traffic stop of a Lucid Air Sapphire near 12th & Davenport.
- Mayor John Ewing Jr. and Chief Todd Schmaderer cite LB 77 in calls for policy review.
- Sen. Terrell McKinney says law wasn’t a factor—bigger issue is policing of minorities.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Friday afternoon, the Omaha Police Department released a multi-page report detailing the early morning traffic stop that occurred on Sunday, September 28th.
According to the report, officers near 12th and Davenport spotted a Lucid Air Sapphire—a luxury high-performance vehicle capable of reaching 60 miles per hour in under two seconds—speeding past them.
"The speed limit in that area is 25 miles an hour," said Chief Schamderer. "They estimated it at least double or more—probably more to be honest with you."
"Officers observed a car traveling at a high rate of speed in a densely populated entertainment district with heavy pedestrian traffic. They conducted a traffic stop with that car. There was no way the officers could have known the driver was Mr. Crawford as it was dark and the car had no license plates. Mr. Crawford admitted on camera the car was fast and implied it got away from him."
What began as a traffic stop has since sparked a larger conversation about policing and policy in Omaha. The incident has prompted Mayor John Ewing Jr., himself a former police officer, to call for policy reviews and potential changes within OPD.
Ewing stood alongside Police Chief Todd Schmaderer on Friday as they addressed community concerns.
"We're hurt by this like everyone else," Schmaderer said. "This is not the situation anyone wanted to find themselves in—including the officers in this particular stop."Both Ewing and Schmaderer pointed to Nebraska’s 2023 permitless carry law, LB 77, as a factor that could affect how traffic stops are handled moving forward.
"Right now when you go up to a vehicle, officers ask for license, registration and insurance," Schmaderer explained. "We are considering adding, ‘Is there a legal firearm under LB 77 in the vehicle?’"
Accountability Actions:
1) The OPD is evaluating a potential policy update concerning traffic stops, specifically regarding the implications of LB 77. The proposed modification involves officers inquiring about the presence of a firearm in the vehicle, in addition to requesting the driver’s license, registration, and proof of insurance, as permitted by LB 77.
2) Due to an increase in traffic stops involving firearms affected by LB 77, OPD will implement scenario-based training. This training aims to equip officers with various options for effectively managing the dynamics of LB 77.
3) OPD will work with the Mayor’s Office on a comprehensive plan to examine the nature of traffic stops involving firearms, report findings and redouble concrete action steps on building community relations.
Mayor Ewing has also reached out to state leaders, including North Omaha State Senator Terrell McKinney, to discuss police-community relations. McKinney, however, does not believe LB 77 played a role in this case.
"With or without the law they would’ve been carrying firearms—so I don’t think that presented an issue," McKinney said. "It’s just now more people, under their theory, are possessing firearms because of the change in the law."For McKinney, the deeper issue is how minorities are policed in Omaha.
"The focus should be on how the Omaha Police Department interacts with the North Omaha community and Black people in general in the city of Omaha," he said. Chief Schmaderer acknowledged those concerns.
"We understand the symbolism of this involved in the broader context—which as chief it’s something I take very seriously, is disproportionately in anything that we do," he said.
He also recognized national concerns over racial disparities in policing. Schmaderer confirmed OPD will begin tracking data related to how often Black drivers are stopped and ordered out at gunpoint, as part of efforts to address inequities.
In Omaha, I’m Melissa Wright.
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