School Funding/Tax Stalemate Continues; Police Shortage Heard

Feb. 10, 2022, 7 p.m. ·

Nebraska Capitol (Photo by Fred Knapp, Nebraska Public Media News)
Nebraska Capitol (Photo by Fred Knapp, Nebraska Public Media News)

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All Things Considered host William Padmore talked to Nebraska Public Media News reporter Fred Knapp for this legislative update:


Padmore: I'm William Padmore with Nebraska public media news and with me is legislative reporter Fred Knapp. Fred, what's up today from the legislature?

Knapp: Well, they were having another debate about school finance and property taxes, and they have a sort of a stalemate going on there. Earlier this week, Senator Tom Briese’s bill to cap public school property tax increases was filibustered to death. And now it looks like the same fate may await a proposal by Senator Lynne Walz, a big school state school aid funding increase, that being another approach to lowering property taxes, but the same people that wanted to caps are saying this one doesn't have good enough caps. So they are at loggerheads, I would say.

Padmore: The eternal fight. And I understand there was a hearing about a shortage of law enforcement officers working. Tell us about that.

Knapp: Senator Brett Lindstrom has a bill to spend a million dollars to recruit new officers from out of state. Law enforcement people say there's a crisis -- a shortage of law enforcement officers, especially in rural areas. Senator Tom Brandt of Plymouth who represents a mostly rural district expressed frustration about trying to attract and keep new officers.

Brandt: All we are is a training academy for Lincoln. Our sheriffs find somebody finally, wait six months send him to the training academy and they last a year or two and then they're off to, usually in our case, Lincoln.

Padmore: Did anyone suggest what kind of people might be targeted for recruiting?

Knapp Yes, Fraternal Order of Police president Jim Maguire, who was supporting the proposal talked about how it could work.

Maguire: My hope is to get some of these officers that may be towards, let's say, the tail end of their career or they just want to get started. And let's say that they really like hunting and fishing and everything else. They go to one of the more rural areas and finish out the remainder of their career.

Padmore: Okay, law enforcement crisis in rural areas. What about urban areas?

Knapp: There was discussion of that as well. Anthony Conner, president of the Omaha Police Officers Association, that's the union up there, who's black talked about how the department wants to recruit more black officers. And that led to an exchange with Senator Terrell McKinney who's also black. Here's first Conner, then McKinney.

Conner: We're in Omaha right about just under 10% black officers in the city of Omaha. We would like to recruit more black officers to Omaha. But one of the things that has to happen, has to change, is personally the conversation around the kitchen table about how we talk about police officers. We sacrifice a lot for our communities. And we have to start recruiting our young

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men.

McKinney: But you do know why the conversations around the kitchen table around officers, especially in black communities, is probably different from the rest of the state. Because traditionally black communities they have been over policed and brutalized by the police.

Knapp: And McKinney broadened his complaint to apply outside of Omaha, too.

McKinney: When you say that conversation needs to change --the conversation that needs to change is how the police police in communities not just in North Omaha, but across the state. Because it's not acceptable.

Conner: And that's your opinion and I disagree with almost everything.

McKinney: You can disagree. But it is what it is. Thank you.

Padmore: Okay, sounds like they're touching on some important and personal issues there. What's coming up next?

Knapp: Well, the legislature is going to finish debating Senator Wal’sz school aid bill. And then the next thing on the agenda is a proposal for income tax cuts by Senator Lou Ann Linehan.