Rep. Mike Flood launches initiative to ease Nebraska’s law enforcement shortage

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Rep. Mike Flood is looking to help Nebraska law enforcement agencies recruit and retain more officers.

He launched the Nebraska Backs the Blue campaign Tuesday. Its main goal is to hire officers from other states.

“Our message today to the rest of the U.S. is that our communities are looking for good, qualified officers that are honest, that have integrity and are in it for the right reason,” Flood said.

SEE ALSO: ‘We do have to do something’: Police shortages affect rural Nebraska

Law enforcement agencies across Nebraska say they are struggling to hire people.

About 10% of positions at the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office are open, and the Nebraska State Patrol has a 15% vacancy rate.

The Lincoln Police Department is looking to fill more than 30 open positions, while the York County Sheriff’s Office also announced that it’s hiring deputies.

SEE ALSO: Lincoln agencies among those affected by nationwide law enforcement shortage

Flood said he sat down with 30 law enforcement officials to discuss their main challenges.

One of them is that the hiring and training process can take up to a year.

Flood said Nebraska is the only state to offer free university and college tuition to law enforcement officers and their dependents.

Norfolk Police Chief Don Miller said that incentive works.

“I’ve got three or four officers that I know of that are using the free benefits for the free college tuition,” he said. “And I mean, there’s no secret that if you have a child or dependent in college, they’re going to be sticking around for a while, so that clearly helps the retention.”

Flood said the agencies will help create a plan to spread the word about Nebraska’s benefits during National Police Week in May in Washington.