OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — "Some juveniles are running in stolen cars, juveniles are armed with violent, with weapons, we have had juveniles commit homicides," said Omaha Police Sgt. Anthony Conner.
Sgt. Conner is president of the Omaha Police Officers Association and said this is an issue that has only increased over the years.
"We have a chart that actually shows juveniles that committed four felonies or more, that number jumped from 2015 and 14 it was 2 juveniles in the entire City of Omaha, that number jumped the next year to 16," said Conner.
He said right now, there are no consequences in the system.
"Our officers are telling me that within hours of them doing their felony, what we call felony packets, hours of paperwork, the juveniles sometimes are out on the street before their paperwork is even finished," said Conner.
Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson shared in this concern.
"I just saw some recent data, which indicates that 33% of every juvenile that is entered into the youth center and released, commits a new crime within 6 months. That's staggering," said Sheriff Hanson.
The new Youth and Family Support Center is scheduled to open on January 1, 2024. The current plan in place by the Douglas County Board of Commissioners is to gradually reduce the number of youth detained at the current center leading up to the opening.
3 News Now Reporter Molly Hudson reached out to Douglas County Commissioner Mary Ann Borgeson. She provided a statement saying:
"The Board already passed a Resolution in May of this year outlining where we needed to be by the end of the year. We have done a lot of work getting programs and services up and running to address issues with our youth. I believe that there is a lot of misunderstanding of what the juvenile system is and how it operates, but we continue to work hard at reforming our system to make it best for the youth, their families and our community."
But a new resolution will be up for a vote Tuesday morning that would keep the current center open longer before the transition to the new center could happen.
"Keep it open for 6 months, when they maintain that number of 54, the new operating capacity of the new center for 6 months straight," said Conner.
Sheriff Hanson said the system as it is now, is not working.
"We need to take a pause, we need to recollect table top and make sure that whatever we do next is not only focused on the better outcomes of youthful offenders but equally as important the safety of the public we serve," said Hanson.
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