OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Gun violence has impacted communities around the country, but Omaha Police say one of its programs helped to reduce gun violence over the past 15 years.
Chief Todd Schmaderer spoke to the Washington Post on Thursday about the program, Omaha 360.
“In conjunction with the community, mainly the Empowerment Network 360 and the Omaha Police Department, we started this off about 15 years ago with the premise of just reducing the gun violence. And over the course of time, it has grown. We've added much more community groups,” said Schmaderer.
The department says it had what it considered an epidemic number of shootings 15 years ago.
Since the program started, Schmaderer says the city has reached the lowest level of violent crime in 40 years.
He credits meetings with community groups every week to triage and address issues as what's helping them achieve their mission.
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