As a first-time candidate in 2022, Aaron Hanson said one of his priorities as Douglas County sheriff was to increase the number of deputies on staff. When he took office in 2023, staffing was at about 130 deputies and civilians; today, Hanson manages an office of about 165 people. 

Hanson defeated Democrat Greg Gonzalez by 1,093 votes in 2022. He faces Mark Martinez, a Democrat, in the Nov. 3 general election. 

Increased staffing, along with higher salaries, has helped increase road patrols in the unincorporated area of Douglas County, which covers a population of about 110,000, Hanson said. The Community Action Team focuses on street racing, speeding and other traffic enforcement issues, he said. 

The Special Operations Group targets drug-related crimes, warrants and other criminal activity, Hanson said. 

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office also handles security at the county courthouse, as well as problem-solving courts, such as adult drug and young adult, as well as treatment courts focused on veterans and others with mental health or substance abuse issues. 

With nine investigators dedicated to specialized areas, including financial crimes, Hanson said adding two civilian analysts helped relieve pressure on investigators, allowing them to spend more time on cases. 

"Analysts are a crucial evolution and innovation in law enforcement in modern times," he said. "Analysts who work alongside the investigators help differentiate crime data, help sort through voluminous amounts of digital evidence...so it's a real force multiplier." 

The professionalism of the sheriff's office has impressed him over the last four years, Hanson said. 

"You can be the best sheriff ever, have all the best ideas, work as hard as you can, but if you don't have a team surrounding you that is professional, compassionate and dedicated, and shares your vision of commitment to the community and public safety, then you're not going to succeed," he said. 

While enforcing traffic laws and investigating property crimes occupy much of deputies' time, creating a financial crimes unit has helped reduce fraud and scams in Douglas County, Hanson said. 

With two deputies dedicated to investigating financial crimes, Hanson said his office led the state to regulate the use of crypto ATMs, with a daily spending cap and a placard warning users of possible scams. Those steps have reduced the amount of money people have lost statewide due to scams, Hanson said. 

Concerns raised by his opponent over whether the sheriff's office is adequately managing the county's sex offender registry are misguided, Hanson said. Mark Martinez, the Democratic Party nominee, said in a separate interview that he didn't think the office had enough deputies dedicated to monitoring registered sex offenders. 

"We have seen sex offender violations drop 60% in the last year, because we have dedicated a full-time deputy investigator to monitoring sex offenders," Hanson said. "(Martinez) is flat-out wrong. We have taken a hard stance against registered sex offenders violating the sex offender registry, and we take a zero-tolerance approach." 

The sheriff's office has been criticized for its handling of homeless people, as well as homeless encampments, removing residents and their property without warning. Hanson denied those criticisms. 

The sheriff's office hired a homeless services coordinator in early 2026 through a grant funded by the Lozier Foundation. The coordinator works with deputies and area nonprofits to assist homeless people, including those living in encampments. 

However, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office can't ignore crimes that may be committed, Hanson said. 

"It takes a balanced approach," he said. "The sheriff's office will never just randomly descend on a homeless encampment. It is exclusively an effort that is undertaken when we receive a complaint from a citizen of Douglas County." 

While it's not illegal to be homeless, the sheriff's office can't ignore crimes being committed on a resident's property, such as trespassing or theft, Hanson said. 

"Of course, we have to be compassionate to people living in these tent encampments, but we have to be equally as compassionate, if not more compassionate, to the law-abiding citizens who live and work and own property around these encampments," he said. "I can't look at a hardworking single mom who is concerned about the illicit tent encampment behind her house and the fact that her daughter can't go outside to mow the grass and their items get stolen routinely from their property and simply say, 'Well, I need to give it a few more weeks to see if they'll comply and go to the shelter.'" 

A person experiencing mental health issues may be reluctant to stay at a shelter, Hanson said. There has to be a balanced approach to offering assistance and enforcing laws, he said. 

"You should not be shielded from criminal laws simply because you're living in a tent encampment," Hanson said. "You have to be able to compartmentalize between folks who struggle with homelessness and people who are struggling with behavioral health, addiction, and, in some cases, are registered sex offenders, who we must keep the community safe from." 

As Douglas County sheriff, Hanson has engaged Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in some situations involving undocumented immigrants, despite the county not having an official agreement and over objections of some Douglas County leaders, who have concerns about the message it sends to communities of color. 

Martinez said he has concerns about working with ICE officials, primarily for a perceived lack of training and law enforcement backgrounds among officers. 

Regardless of their opinions about ICE, people want a safe community, Hanson said. 

"They do not want criminals in our community, and they do not want criminals in our community who are not legally supposed to be in this country," Hanson said. "That has been my dividing line. When it comes to criminals victimizing innocent people in my community, I will cooperate with our federal partners, to include ICE, to keep my community safe, and that doesn't just mean U.S. citizens in my community. That means anybody who's an innocent person in my community, regardless of their immigration status." 

Some local community leaders have expressed concerns that with the sheriff's office working with ICE, persons of color may be reluctant to call 911 about crime because they fear being taken into custody. 

"What's the alternative?" Hanson said. "When I get contacted by members of the Latino community in Omaha and in Douglas County,  should I look at them and say, 'No, I can't, because I'm too concerned that I might be wading into a very delicate political issue ’? I wouldn't be worth my title as sheriff if I did that. Sheriffs have an obligation to protect all innocent people in their community, and I believe that if you are consistent, like the sheriff's office has been, in focusing on criminal actors, that act in and of itself will prove to the law-abiding immigrant community that they have nothing to fear." 

Hanson said he disagrees with Martinez's concerns about working with ICE. 

"What would Mr. Martinez do if he's elected sheriff, and elderly people in Douglas County are being defrauded, as they were in our case, by a Russian national who's a guest in our country? Would he not coordinate with ICE to have that individual removed?" Hanson said. "What would Mr. Martinez do if he became aware of a rapist who raped women, who was in the country illegally? Would he not work with ICE to remove them from our country? Of course he would, because that's what any real law enforcement officer would do."

Tim Trudell is a freelance writer and online content creator. His work has appeared in Flatwater Free Press, Next Avenue, Indian Country Today, Nebraska Life, Nebraska Magazine, Council Bluffs Daily Non-Pareil and Douglas County Post Gazette, among others. He is a citizen of the Santee Dakota Nation.