Omaha Police Chief mandates additional training in aftermath of deadly officer-involved shootings
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Citing “recent officer-involved shootings,” Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer is requiring officers to complete additional use-of-force training.
A news release posted Friday says all OPD officers will take a VirTra simulation training, called “Shoot/Don’t Shoot,” which is designed to “enhance decision-making in high-stress scenarios“ and ”reinforce critical judgment during use-of-force situations" by way of “immersive, real-world situations.”
“We take each officer-involved incident very seriously and are dedicated to providing our officers with the best training available. This additional training will help our officers make split-second decisions with precision, ultimately contributing to the safety and trust within our community.”
The specialized training is supplemental to the annual in-service training OPD officers already receive, the release states.
Schmaderer’s mandate comes about weeks after he held a news conference to review details about the events that led from a traffic stop to the shooting death of 22-year-old Steven Phipps Jr. by Officer Noah Zendejas while pursuing him on foot.
In August, OPD Officer Adam Vail shot and killed 37-year-old Cameron Ford, who was unarmed, while authorities executed a no-knock warrant — an incident that prompted Schmaderer to recommend the officer be fired and for the department to halt their standard execution of such warrants.
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