Chief of Police, Todd Schmaderer, was born and raised in Omaha. He graduated from Roncalli High school in 1990. After high school Schmaderer went to Wayne State on a football scholarship, then transferred to University of Nebraska Omaha after a year. At University of Nebraska at Omaha, Schmaderer got a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. Having a father in the police force, Schmaderer always had an interest in law enforcement, but wasn’t sure he wanted to follow the family trade. He looked in the business world and found a job with the police department would better support his young family. Very shortly after graduation he was hired by the Omaha police Department and got a master’s in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati. August 2022 will be Schmaderers tenth year as Chief.

Schmaderer found purpose in the camaraderie within the force and the ability to make a positive difference in the community. The desire to rise through the ranks came through his passion for the business side of the force, finding solutions to large scale problems. Officer-involved shootings have dropped, and there have been none in 2022. Police complaints are down. Homicide clearance rate – the rate in which homicide cases where charges are pressed –are high. Though the pandemic saw a spike in homicides across the nation, we’re seeing an almost record low number of homicides in 2022. There have been nine homicides and 42 non-fatal shootings as of the end of June which is low when compared to 2019’s 23 homicides and 99 non-fatal shootings This is far beneath 2008’s 44 homicides and nearly 200 non-fatal shootings.

Managing expectations is one of the greatest challenges Schmaderer finds as Chief. “There is no award for Police departments, so it’s difficult for the public to know whether theirs is good or not,” Schmaderer says. He finds bad policing in other states or cities gets extrapolated to Omaha. It’s important to the Chief that the Omaha Police department doesn’t shy away from their mistakes but owns and takes the necessary steps to correct them. A video circulated in late June of an officer slamming a 12-year-old boy against his patrol vehicle after confronting the boy about a stolen iPad. “I had someone in the community send that directly to me, and I appreciate them doing that,” Schmaderer says. The officer in question has been placed on administrative leave, and an investigation is underway. The investigation will entail a start to finish of that call, body camera footage, any footage taken by bystanders, an in-depth look at the officers’ work history and complaints. It is important to Chief Schmaderer to have a strong relationship between the Police Department and the Omaha community, which means being transparent when an officer has or has not done something wrong.

Homelessness in Omaha is present, but not to the level of a warmer state. With the summer, we are seeing an increase in the homeless population. The Homeless Task Force was partly originated by the police force, then passed control to other entities. “We don’t want to look at homelessness as a police matter. We aren’t looking to arrest anyone who finds themselves homeless,” Schmaderer says. The department has brought in private organizations and food shelters to help those in need.

In early 2021, the Restorative Justice Program was initiated to help individuals who found themselves on the wrong end of a police call. After an arrest, an individual has the option to meet with the arresting officer to discuss the situation. “It’s been a great meeting of the minds,” Schmaderer says. The officer gets to see that person outside of the situation; that person gets to meet with the officer out of uniform and find the humanity within each other. “It also takes that arrest off of the person’s record, so it doesn’t harm them for the rest of their life, and we like that aspect,” Schmaderer says.