by Aaron Hanson, President

Within weeks of the printing of this article, the City Council’s $250,000 public safety "efficiency study" will have been completed and made public. It is no coincidence that this study will have concluded almost simultaneously with the initiation of contract negotiations between the city and police and fire unions.

Once the study is released, I would not be surprised in the least to see certain individuals parading around town, waving around two pages of a 300 page study, incorrectly telling anyone that will listen that Omaha police officers are overpaid and under worked, a common mantra being chanted in large police departments across America.

When and if you hear such blather, you must resist the natural temptation to revert to negativity and despair. Instead, respond in a manner just the opposite. Go out and do even better police work than you have ever done before. Remind the citizens of Omaha, through your actions and demeanor during every single contact, the level of professionalism, courtesy and service that they constantly receive from Omaha police officers. We should think of our department as 800 individual walking billboards, promoting our agency constantly, and leaving as many citizens as possible with a positive perception of the Omaha Police Department.

We should all hold final judgment on this "fair and impartial" study, of which we were offered little meaningful input, until the report is complete. Despite the spin and politics, I truly believe that there are some very positive things that can potentially come of this study.

All police officers really asked for, in return for putting our lives on the line every day to protect this city, was fairness. In the aftermath of this study, we will be watching very closely, and taking careful note, to see just how fairly our various individual elected officials treated the brave guardians of Omaha.

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