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LINCOLN — A group of former Nebraska law enforcement and military veterans announced a new coalition called “Equality Before the Law” to push back against what they described as “federal overreach” by some agencies in the second term of the Trump administration.
Outside the Lancaster County Hall of Justice on Thursday, former Lincoln Police Chief and former Lancaster County Sheriff Tom Casady, along with other former law enforcement officials and veterans, talked about their concerns for public safety in Nebraska communities stemming from a “lack of accountability” by some in federal law enforcement, saying their actions erode public trust.
The new law enforcement and military group is organized in the wake of President Donald Trump deploying the National Guard to American cities led by Democrats, including Washington, D.C., and his ramping up of immigration enforcement and emphasis on mass deportations in the past 15 months.
The eight founders include Jim Davidsaver, a retired Lincoln police captain and Lincoln-Lancaster County Emergency Management director, and retired military members Jim Melson of Omaha and Janece and Wayne Mollhoff of Ashland who joined Casady on Thursday.
“Public safety breaks down when priorities are driven by political pressure or when people think that the law doesn’t apply to them,” Casady said. “This is not a standard that we accept here in Nebraska.”
The former director of public safety for the City of Lincoln said there are other people in law enforcement and military service who have similar feelings but are constrained from speaking out because of their employment.
“I don’t have to worry about my federal grant being pulled or about retaliation for expressing my viewpoints,” Casady said.
Casady touched on examples — while not naming the president —including the Trump administration using the National Guard in several Democratic-led cities across the country and Minnesota facing an increased presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents who clashed with protesters until Feb. 12.
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During “Operation Metro Surge,” immigration agents shot three people, killing two; racially profiled others, asking them to produce proof of legal residency; detained legal immigrants and shipped some across state lines, including young children; caused numerous car crashes; deployed chemical irritants on public school property; smashed the car windows of observers and arrested them before releasing them; and threatened journalists, among other high-profile incidents.
Critics have called Trump’s use of the National Guard a dangerous abuse of power. Casady said that Nebraska has been “fortunate” to not be “targeted with these kinds of federal actions,” and he wants to “keep it that way.” He emphasized that law enforcement should still work with the feds on legitimate goals.
Nebraska has seen a major ICE raid in Omaha at a Glenn Valley Foods last year, which prompted protests. Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen activated the Nebraska National Guard ahead of some of those protests during the College World Series last summer — and most were peaceful. The Pillen administration also worked with the Trump administration to host an ICE migrant detention center in McCook.
Details about the new group’s plans were light. They hope more law enforcement and other veterans will join their coalition and work with state lawmakers on policy. Casady said their backgrounds in law enforcement and the military could provide some “credibility.” He said he wants to assure Nebraskans that not all law enforcement “stand” for some of the actions of the current administration.
In Nebraska, registered Republicans outnumber Democrats roughly 2-to-1, with a sizable number of nonpartisans, but Lancaster and Douglas Counties are home to some of the state’s more Democratic-leaning areas.
