Omaha police staffing shortage continues, union wants the gaps filled quicker

A new batch of Omaha police recruits hits the streets in April, leaving crews in the month of March short. "Get the Facts" on the numbers and solutions.

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The Omaha police union shares growing concerns about police staffing.KETV has previously reported that Omaha police officer numbers have declined over the years.READ MORE: Omaha Police Department say 2026 budget will help officer shortageWe help you “Get the Facts” on the department’s workforce numbers. The Omaha Police Department holds a bid every March and September, allowing officers to sort out which areas they want to cover.A new batch of recruits hits the streets in April, leaving crews in the month of March short.The police agency and the Omaha Police Officers’ Association met on Wednesday, but don’t see eye to eye on the solutions to the shortage.“I think that time is coming soon. They’re going to start to get burned out,” OPOA President Patrick Dempsey said. “They’re going to start to really feel the effects of that.”OPD said the department has a total of 814 officers, including the 37 recruits who will complete training in June.OPD’s Executive Deputy Chief Scott Gray said that creates a slight staffing shortage for the month of March.“We have the exact same number, on each crew this time in March, as we did back in September,” Gray said.Dempsey said, “Technically, there were the same number of positions on that board, but 10 of those positions don’t start until April and six of those positions are getting promoted to sergeant.”He explains OPD has two crews split in half for each precinct that they cover, and with this new bid.“One of those crews who is dedicated to covering half of that precinct has only one officer on it,” Dempsey said.OPD said there’s a plan, so this doesn’t happen.“There’s adequate coverage based on call load, and that every officer has kind of a similar or equitable call load,” Gray said.Adding that new technology, like the first responder drones and the real-time operations unit, is taking a load off.“They’re allowing officers to solve more crimes and be more efficient with their time,” Gray said.But Dempsey said there’s more that can be done.“We’ve worked hand in hand with the chief to bring in year-round hiring. We’ve worked with the chief and the city to implement two academy classes a year. We’ve worked diligently down in the legislature through some of the bills — Police Officer Retention Act that gives law enforcement dependents free college. We’ve worked through a number of other bills legislatively to attract and retain officers,” Dempsey said. “OPOA is doing everything they can to help with this. At some point in time, we need to start to think outside the box and figure out solutions from the city to fix this crisis.”OPD said the ordinance allowing higher pay for officers has helped with recruiting, and they aim to get 60 more recruits for upcoming training classes.Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google Search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |

OMAHA, Neb. —

The Omaha police union shares growing concerns about police staffing.

KETV has previously reported that Omaha police officer numbers have declined over the years.

We help you “Get the Facts” on the department’s workforce numbers.

The Omaha Police Department holds a bid every March and September, allowing officers to sort out which areas they want to cover.

A new batch of recruits hits the streets in April, leaving crews in the month of March short.

The police agency and the Omaha Police Officers’ Association met on Wednesday, but don’t see eye to eye on the solutions to the shortage.

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You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

“I think that time is coming soon. They’re going to start to get burned out,” OPOA President Patrick Dempsey said. “They’re going to start to really feel the effects of that.”

OPD said the department has a total of 814 officers, including the 37 recruits who will complete training in June.

OPD’s Executive Deputy Chief Scott Gray said that creates a slight staffing shortage for the month of March.

“We have the exact same number, on each crew this time in March, as we did back in September,” Gray said.

Dempsey said, “Technically, there were the same number of positions on that board, but 10 of those positions don’t start until April and six of those positions are getting promoted to sergeant.”

He explains OPD has two crews split in half for each precinct that they cover, and with this new bid.

“One of those crews who is dedicated to covering half of that precinct has only one officer on it,” Dempsey said.

OPD said there’s a plan, so this doesn’t happen.

This content is imported from Facebook.
You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

“There’s adequate coverage based on call load, and that every officer has kind of a similar or equitable call load,” Gray said.

Adding that new technology, like the first responder drones and the real-time operations unit, is taking a load off.

“They’re allowing officers to solve more crimes and be more efficient with their time,” Gray said.

But Dempsey said there’s more that can be done.

“We’ve worked hand in hand with the chief to bring in year-round hiring. We’ve worked with the chief and the city to implement two academy classes a year. We’ve worked diligently down in the legislature through some of the bills — Police Officer Retention Act that gives law enforcement dependents free college. We’ve worked through a number of other bills legislatively to attract and retain officers,” Dempsey said. “OPOA is doing everything they can to help with this. At some point in time, we need to start to think outside the box and figure out solutions from the city to fix this crisis.”

OPD said the ordinance allowing higher pay for officers has helped with recruiting, and they aim to get 60 more recruits for upcoming training classes.

Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google Search.