Teen crime trending down despite recent rash in Lincoln

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Youth arrests for violent crimes have been decreasing steadily in the U.S. since the late ’90s, according to the Department of Justice.

The same trend can be seen here in Nebraska, where youth arrests have been going down since 2010, according to data compiled by Voices of Children.

And law enforcement and local nonprofits want to keep it that way.

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In the past two months, teens have made it into local crime headlines multiple times.

This week, a teen pointed a gun at a witness after stealing $6 in food from a Lincoln Walgreens, police said. 

Last week, a 14-year-old was accused of stealing a pickup and crashing it into a tree in northwest Lincoln. 

And last month, a 12-year-old stole a Door Dash driver’s vehicle, according to police. 

“What causes some of this is usually violence in the home, just lack of supervision and support,” said Chief Lancaster County Sheriff’s Deputy Ben Houchin. “Not having things to do and not having adults to care for you creates a lot of this.”

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After-school organizations like the Malone Center have been involving youth in leadership programs to keep them on the right path.

The center offers its Young Men and Women’s Business Leadership Academy on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“Mentorship is key,” said Ishma Yusaf Valenti I, director of teen programing at the Malone Center. “And teens, they need mentors that are able to display great leadership.”

But as much as they want to keep kids safe and off the streets, the Malone Center said it is experiencing challenges after the City of Lincoln and the Lancaster County cut funding. 

“We can have all the wonderful, great programing, but if they’re not funded adequately, then they’re not going to be as successful as they could be,” Valenti said. “Even right now with my programs, we had to cut the number of kids that we can take because of funding.” 

Other organizations offering youth programs are City Impact, The Lighthouse, The Bay and the YMCA, among others.