OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – At Tuesday’s Omaha City Council meeting, a few big ticket items were approved for the Omaha Police Department, totaling more than $800,000.
One of them is a massive piece of equipment, which many in the area have likely seen.
“We’re called out approximately 80 times a year, some very important, dangerous calls,” says OPD Deputy Chief Steve Cerveny.
Cerveny is talking about the bomb response truck. It’s used more often than you’d think, he says.
“We provide bomb response for not only the Omaha community but three counties, Douglas, Sarpy and Washington along with all the smaller agencies that are contained within those counties,” Cerveny said.
Tuesday, city council members swiftly approved just shy of $600,000 for the department to buy a new bomb truck.
Cerveny says it’s long overdue.
“Our current bomb truck, bomb response unit truck, is about 20 years old. It’s a 2004 Chevy, and it really is experiencing a lot of mechanical issues, and it also is outdated from a technological standpoint as well.”
The truck has the capability to properly contain and dispose of explosive devices and houses other equipment that’s used during bomb response calls.
Cerveny also says the truck is frequently used for routine sweeps at Eppley Airfield and Offutt Air Force Base. It’s also used during major events that come to the city.
Just this summer, the bomb squad was called to a suspicious package at the College World Series.
“It’s really a critical piece of equipment that we utilize all the time for the safety and security of the residents of Omaha and surrounding communities as well, the entire metro area, and it’s so important to stay up with the advancement of technology for that particular unit.”
Cerveny says the price for a piece of equipment like this has only been going up, so there’s no better time than now.
“It is costly but well worth it for the safety and the lives of everyone in this community.”
The city council also authorized the department to spend more than $200,000 on equipment for the forensics unit.
The equipment uses a laser to scan a violent crime scene and then create a 3D virtual image of the scene that can be used for further investigation any time after the physical scene has been cleared. The imaging produced from it can also be used in court.
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