Grassroots group led by former NSP superintendent pauses push for more LPD officers

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The efforts of a former law enforcement leader, pushing for more Lincoln cops, is temporarily changing gears.

The grassroots group, ‘Advocates for all Nebraskans’ announced Wednesday that they are pausing their months-long efforts to increase the Lincoln Police Department’s authorized strength to 450 officers.

One of the group’s leaders, former Nebraska State Patrol Superintendent Tom Nesbitt, told Channel 8 that although disappointed, they are not deterred.

Nesbitt spent over 20 years leading the Nebraska State Patrol and says that he understands the difficulties that come along with budgeting for additional staff, but says in some cases, staffing should take priority.

He says the goal to increase LPD’s authorized strength to 450 officers is based on an FBI standard of having two officers for every thousand residents.

Nesbitt says the group wants to have 1.5 LPD officers for every thousand residents, but right now it’s about 1.2.

“In a growing capital city of almost 300,000 residents, we cannot indefinitely operate with the police staffing that we have,” said Nesbitt.

“Resources available to them will only become more difficult and more expensive as well, to correct.”

Over the last month, Nesbitt said a group of volunteers began collecting signatures hoping to get this measure on the November ballot.

Currently, the authorized strength sits at 371; an amount that is determined by the Mayor and the City Council.

The Mayor’s Chief of Staff, Rick Hoppe says, that number is appropriate, evidenced by Lincoln’s low crime rates.

Hoppe says that violent crimes are at a 20-year low for the third year in a row.

“We don’t think the ratio of police officers to population is the right metric,” he said.

“We really strongly believe it is the crime rate. We try to look at that crime rate. We try to look at what we can afford without raising taxes.”

Hoppe says even if the measure to increase LPD’s authorized strength made it to the ballot and was approved by voters, 450 officers is too expensive.

“It’s about $13 million to add 80 police officers. That is a 12% increase in property taxes,” he said.

Nesbitt says the decision is disheartening and discouraging, which ultimately led to the pause on the initiative for now.

“I’m a citizen. That’s all I am. I’m not a cop anymore, but I still have the public servant’s heart,” he said.

“And I want to take care of the people of this great city of ours.”

Nesbitt says he’s proud of having started the conversation around increasing LPD’s authorized strength and will eventually revisit the initiative once the dust settles.