News & Commentary

A parent should be able to put their faith in an officer who is there to keep their children safe, but based on our experience, I am concerned about having police in school. In our case, they did more harm than good.

The last year was a relentless attack on civil rights and civil liberties emanating from the highest echelons of political power and emboldening state and local leaders to act in ways previously unimaginable.
Nevertheless, we persisted, we resisted, and we achieved important progress.

Many of the over 1,000 complaints we receive every year are about law enforcement agencies. Sometimes, they are a sign of an officer being rude, but not breaking any laws. Sometimes, they are much more serious. In all cases, these complaints should be going directly to the law enforcement agencies. 

Lincoln's Public Safety Director and former Cheif of Police shared some thoughts on his blog in response to the shooting in Orlando. We repost with his permission.

At the Unicameral, the ACLU of Nebraska has put together our strongest advocacy team to date to implement our diverse and wide ranging civil rights agenda. Our client is the Constitution and our work impacts our most cherished rights, fundamental freedoms, and the civil liberties of all Nebraskans. We are effective due to our hard work, policy and legal expertise, and the strong voices and unyielding activism of thousands of supporters.

In June of 2000, Hector Herrera had $4,000 seized from him when leaving the Omaha Eppley Airport. He worked in food service and was paid in cash.

The Lincoln Journal Star Editorial Board joins the ACLU in calling for reforms to Nebraska's civil forfeiture laws.

Last month, the police chief of Lincoln, Nebraska announced that the security cameras watching over the city’s downtown bar scene have not proven effective in his department’s efforts to stem criminal activity. Police Chief Jim Peschong said that the recordings hadn’t helped investigators either identify new suspects or bolster evidence against current ones. Peschong also stated that the cameras hadn’t lowered crime in their vicinity: according to Lincoln Police statistics, there were 128 assaults within 500 feet of the cameras last year, numbers that are on par with the department’s five-year average.

You have the right to film the police.

The ACLU of Nebraska Mobile Justice smartphone app was created to empower individuals to hold Nebraska law enforcement agencies accountable for their actions.