Area Law Enforcement Issues
Mirror Those Across Nation

By Gordon HopkinsThe nation is facing an unprecedented and ongoing workforce shortage, impacting virtually all industries, both public and private, to varying degrees. One hard hit sector is law enforcement. Nebraska police departments, sheriffs’ offices and even the State Patrol is struggling to hire and maintain officers.Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office UnionWhile still searching for more deputies, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is in better shape than many other counties.In an email, Sheriff Nick Georgi told FJN, “We are currently not fully staffed. We are a lot closer now than we were a year ago. A year ago I had five deputy positions open. I am now only down to two deputy openings. We currently are not getting very many applications but we get one every-so-often.”One of the reasons for the improvement may be the union. Last year, Jefferson County Commissioners and Sheriff Georgi signed a contract with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) establishing a union for the Sheriff’s Department in Jefferson County. The sheriff’s department has been unionized since January of 2022.At a meeting of Fairbury’s Law Enforcement Committee on July 26, 2022, the sheriff indicated there has been an increase in interest in open positions since the new pay scale went into effect.“Before we got that contract or before the pay raise, we were getting maybe one app (application) every three or four months,” Georgi said. “We’ve gotten quite a few apps since the last couple months. So, it definitely helped.”The sheriff noted that, prior to the pay raise, he had received applications from certified law enforcement officers, only to have them lose interest when they learned about the pay scale.Many employers, not just law enforcement, have been forced to increase wages to attract new staff.While the union contract is for three years, the pay is renegotiated every year. Georgi explained, “They would only agree to a year because everyone’s raising their wages. So, they felt like, if they did three years, they wouldn’t be comparable anymore next year.”Wymore PD Ceases Law EnforcementActivitiesThe City of Fairbury eliminated its police department and turned law enforcement activities to the Sheriff’s Office. The City of Wymore is hoping to avoid doing the same. However, as of last week, the city no longer has enough full-time police officers and has ceased law enforcement activities for the time being.The Wymore City Council regretfully accepted the resignation of officer Geoff Willmann at a meeting held the evening of Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Willmann was hired by the Wymore Police Department in 2021 and he graduated from the Police Academy in April of 2022.With Willmann’s departure, that leaves only a single officer on the force, interim Police Chief Jordan Schachtschabel, who indicated his desire to step down from hat position. Schachtschabel will remain on the force at this time but no longer serve as acting chief. In his place, Fire Chief Mark Meints has agreed to serve as temporary police chief until a replacement is found.The council pointed out that this action does not mean the police department is being eliminated. The city is looking to hire new officers. Until the department is back to a sufficient staff, the Gage County Sheriff’s Office will handle all calls for violations of state law as well as call about dangerous dogs.Calls for nuisance violations (junked motor vehicles, weeds, dilapidated housing, dogs at large, etc.) should be reported to the Wymore City Office at (402) 645-3377.Dispatch has been informed of the decision and how to handle 911 calls.Like most other fields, law enforcement is suffering from a shortage of workers. The Wymore PD has three full-time officers, including the chief, when fully staffed. City Attorney Andrew Carothers said, “I think reality that everybody needs to understand is that it’s incredibly difficult to operate and maintain a three officer department.”At the meeting, the council also voted to create a law enforcement advisory committee. One of the things that the committee will be looking at is the viability of continuing to maintain a police department. State statute requires that the city provide law enforcement services, either through a local police department or with an agreement with the sheriff’s office. It was noted in the meeting that the Gage County Sheriff’s Office is down two officers.“State Patrol is, as my understanding, is down 80,” said Mayor Collin Meints. “The Omaha Police Department is down 93 officers.”The mayor added, “This isn’t a problem that Wymore is experiencing. This is a problem that all law enforcement agencies are experiencing.”“I know its expensive to keep the police department but,” said Councilperson Neil VanBoening. “Can we afford not to have one?”Some attending the meeting expressed concern that the Gage County Sheriff’s Office will not be able to provide all the law enforcement needed. Shawna Argo, Rescue Chief Shawna Argo said, “For example, it could potentially affect EMS (Emergency Medical Services) because our safety will always come first. And, you know, in situations where it might be an assault in progress, we’re not going in until law enforcement cleared the scene. That’s state protocol.”No date is set yet for the first meeting of the new law enforcement committee. In the meantime, the city will continue to advertise for new police officers.

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