by Dennis Sexton, Editor

A man was shot and killed in Omaha on August 8^th of this year; the details a typical refrain. An argument starts, maybe one guy’s trying to rob the other, out comes a gun (one acquired much too easily, probably on the street) and soon shots ring out. A man lies dead in broad daylight in an apartment parking lot. (As we learned this past weekend, the veil of darkness is no longer necessary to commit murder.) It was an all-too-common incident; one not so different from the first 19 that happened before it in 2007.

But then the differences began to come to light. Witnesses came forward. The bronze Cadillac was seen by so many people and one particularly observant witness was able to lead police to that Cadillac long after it had left the seen. Within five days, one man was arrested in connection for the murder and an arrest warrant was outstanding for the triggerman. The police received help. Witnesses came forward.

No excuses were made as to why a code of silence was preferable to taking dangerous killers off the street. Frustrated police weren’t left to bristle at the thought of a killing in the middle of a busy apartment parking lot with numerous witnesses going unsolved. It brought to mind an earlier homicide where police utilized the vital assistance of cooperating witnesses who pointed out the location of the alleged shooter.

No one turned their back. Nobody said, "I’m not helping you." Not a single "Stop Snitching" T-shirt could be found. A little help went a long, long way toward making the community feel a little safer, if only for a little while…if only until the next one happens.

With death and violence comes blame and finger-pointing. Questions (often the same ones asked the last time things became "so violent") are asked, solutions remaining elusive or not offered altogether. Plans of action are announced and put in gear and that machine hums along for a while until the outcry stops.

Activists and community leaders and anybody else with three cents’ worth of hot air use the opportunity to lay the blame on the shoulders of the uniform I wear. "The police don’t do enough. The police can’t be trusted. The police need to do more. Those crazy gun-toting officers just need to do their damn job."

Or as one Omaha city councilman said, "It’s up to the police department to investigate, to make that arrest, to put that person in jail."

So simple, and yet…so completely missing the point. I interrupt my own editorial for this special announcement: The police do investigate, arrest, and put people in jail and whether or not they stay there is up to prosecutors, judges, witnesses, and victims. You have accountability on your mind? Please take the time to look at the whole picture. It looks a lot different when you expand your focus. The police don’t/can’t work alone.

"We talk about jobs, we talk about parenting, those are good," the councilman said. "But when someone gets shot, wounded or a house gets shot up then…it’s up to the police department…" Of course! If we can disregard and/or be completely dismissive of core issues related to the problems plaguing our community, we can…blame the police! North Omaha is easily the most culturally diverse area of the city and in my opinion its socioeconomic divide, in contrast to much of the rest of the city, is something that is a specific correlation to the increased violence. Single-parent households struggling to make ends meet (often with low-income jobs or no job-related income at all) are breeding grounds for the youth who turn to gangs and drugs and the resultant crime and associated violence. To be dismissive of such factors in order to take a pot-shot at the police is beyond disappointing and a complete disservice to the community.

The councilman continues, "…the community can’t do it by itself…" No one is asking them to. For the 618^th time, we’re just asking the community to do its part; to assist in its own improvement and to stop waiting for someone else to take the reigns. The investment in what is yours must come from within in order to be in control of your own safety and well-being. The police are your resource, not your answer.

"The police department has to step up," the councilman said. You say jump, I ask how high. And then I wonder if I can ever jump high enough. Or, if I do manage to really get myself up off the ground, at what expense have I done so? What expense are you willing to accept for this job to get done the way it needs to be done? What might be the acceptable level of police aggression in tackling this troubling "wave of violence"?

The police step up every day. Each day we come to work and put on the uniform, we toe the line, ready to do what’s necessary to better this community and keep it safe for everybody and everyone. It’s another day and once again, here we are, ready to step up. Is anybody else ready? Are you ready? It’d be a lot easier if we didn’t have to do it alone.

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