Senator Ricketts’ Weekly Column: Nebraska Backs the Blue

This week is National Police Week.  In Nebraska, we Back the Blue.  Officers across our state work hard to prevent crime and protect families.  They face danger and serve with courage.  That’s why this week – and every week – they deserve our gratitude.

Nebraska’s women and men in blue set the standard for the nation.  For example, homicide rates are down 75% in Omaha this year.  This is the lowest rate in over 10 years.  The Omaha Police Department and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office have worked hard to make our streets safer.  We thank them for their efforts.

I am also grateful for the work of Nebraska law enforcement officers to keep deadly drugs out of our communities.  The Biden Administration’s terrible policies created a catastrophe at the southern border.  But the Nebraska State Patrol stepped up.  In my last year as governor, state troopers confiscated two times as much methamphetamine, three times as much fentanyl, and ten times as much cocaine as just two years prior.

Police officers do this life-saving work for the community, not for praise.  We need to continue to support them.  When I was Governor, we made sure our officers had the best training and resources.  We invested $47.7 million in the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center in Grand Island.  This month, I visited the newly expanded center.  It is a state-of-the-art training facility for State Troopers, veteran officers, and new cadets.  Our State Patrol Crime Laboratory will nearly double in size, thanks to a $16.9 million investment when I was Governor.   This will help prosecute cases successfully, keep bad actors off the street, and decrease re-offenders.  Bottom line, these investments will equip officers with world-class training and tools to continue keeping Nebraskans safe.

As Governor, I signed one of the most comprehensive law enforcement and public safety packages in Nebraska’s history.  We provided retention bonuses and education benefits.  We also improved retirement plans for our police.  Law enforcement officers and their kids received tuition waivers for Nebraska universities.  Retired officers were allowed to deduct their health insurance premiums from state taxes.  This was another way we expressed our gratitude for the work of our police forces.

My work to support our law enforcement has continued in the U.S. Senate.  As a member of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, I’m co-leading the Back the Blue Act and the Thin Blue Line Act.  The bills would provide officers with more tools to protect themselves and increase penalties for targeting law enforcement.

This week, I joined the BLUE Act. This bill would safeguard the personal information of police officers and their family members.  Activists and protesters use this information to target officers and their families.  This is unacceptable.  The BLUE Act would make it illegal. 

We are also recognizing National Police Week with a bipartisan Senate resolution.  The resolution honors law enforcement officers who made the ultimate sacrifice.  It includes Nebraska’s own State Patrol Trooper Kyle McAcy.  While responding to a collision during a snowstorm last year, Trooper McAcy was hit by a vehicle.  He died on the scene. We continue to honor his sacrifice and pray for his loved ones.

As National Police Week comes to an end, we recognize law enforcement.  They put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe.  These women and men stand between danger and our communities.  They protect our homes, our families, and our future.  Their bravery should not go unnoticed.  We must continue to Back the Blue.

Please join me in expressing our appreciation for their important work — not just during Police Week, but every week.  If you see an officer, say thank you.

My team and I are here to serve you.  Contact us anytime by phone at 202-224-4224.  You can also view my website at https://www.ricketts.senate.gov/contact.